Torn Apart
by Baxxie
Summary: In one night, their lives changed forever. One of them went missing, presumed dead by everyone. They refuse to give up, leaving everything else behind. Will they ever find him? How can they cope? Three is good, but four has always been better...
1. Chapter 1 2011

Chapter 1 2011

2011 was going to be their year. So many events took place. After bringing out their second album, the boys of Big Time Rush finally went on a real tour through the US. The four hockey friends from Minnesota were ecstatic. They travelled coast to coast. And then the best news of all; their album went Gold.

Gustavo had saved the best news for last; they were to go to Europe to promote their album coming out.

On the evening before their flight to London, the boys sat around the Palmwoods campfire. They sang and laughed with their friends. For three weeks they would be gone. Their time had finally come. Things could only get better.

Sleeping was the only problem they were having that night. Pretty soon one by one all get up from their beds and stroll into their apartment.

Logan walks in, yawning loudly and stretching. He is surprised to see the TV on. He walks to the orange couch, smiling when he sees Kendall sprawled out.

"Hey." He says, smiling slightly, before turning his head to the TV again. Spongebob Squarepants. The show all four of them grew up watching together. It was something they still shared.

"Move over." Logan quietly tells him as he attempts to sit on the couch as well. He pushes Kendall, who reluctantly scoots over. Logan sits down and lets his body rest against Kendall's. Kendall just snickers and shakes his head.

The four had always been this close. Touching each other like this, as if they were actual brothers was something everyone around them had grown used to. It was just how they were.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

Logan smiles. "It's weird. I feel so tired, but just the thought of what we're doing tomorrow is enough to keep me up."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Dude, we are leaving for Europe tomorrow. How cool is that?"

They just lay there for a while, before another member shuffles into the living area. But instead of asking nicely, he just drops his body into their laps. They groan loudly.

"Ugh, James.. get off.." Logan groans sleepily. James just smiles, making no attempt to get up. The others are so tired, they give up after a while, just letting him lie there.

"Can you guys believe it? We're leaving for London tomorrow! London!" He quietly yells, careful not to raise his voice too much. Wouldn't want to wake Mrs. Knight or Katie.

"We know, James. We know." Kendall quietly says. He shares a look with Logan, who has the same excitement shining in his eyes as he himself does.

"So, where did you put Carlos? Did he go to the bathroom or something?" Kendall and Logan look confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Carlos isn't in his bed. When I saw you guys, I just figured he must be here too."

"Uhm, he wasn't here when I got up. And I've been here for like an hour." Kendall tells his friends.

Suddenly James grins. "You guys, he probably did go to the bathroom and fell asleep. It's happened before." The other guys share a worried look anyway, before watching James get up and walking to the bathroom. They slowly get up and follow him to the door.

James demonstratively opens the door with a wide grin. "Behold, a sleeping Carlos." The other guys share another look.

"Uhm, James?" Kendall mentions. James looks up and follows Kendall eyes as he points to the bathroom. Empty.

James walks into the room, checking everywhere, before coming out, looking confused. He tries to hide his worry with a big grin, but the other guys see through it. He was always closest to Carlos, getting together to pull crazy stunts or parties.

"Maybe he just went for a walk." Logan offers.

"In the middle of the night?" Kendall asks him. Logan just shrugs.

"It's Carlos. When does he ever make sense?" He answers with a small smile, trying to reassure James, whose smile is starting to fade.

"Be as it may, he's never gone out in the middle of the night by himself." Kendall says.

"Well, what should we do? You want to go look for him?"

"I do." James says in a small voice. Kendall sighs before nodding.

"Let's go."

"I'm sure it's nothing. I'm sure he's just so excited, he went to walk around the Palmwoods. Maybe it's just nerves, you know?" Logan keeps trying.

The boys look all around the Palmwoods, which seems a little creepy with it being so late and dark. Everything is quiet and seems deserted. Even though they have been here before, with the 'Palmwoods ghost' night. But still, it wasn't something they were used to.

After an hour of searching in and around Palmwoods, the boys come back into the lobby, looking more worried than ever.

"Look, maybe he just went for a walk to calm his nerves. I'm sure he'll be back in time for the flight tomorrow." Logan offers to James, whose face has become slightly pale with worry etched onto his face.

"Logan's right. We should go to bed. I'm sure he'll be right there having breakfast when we wake up." Kendall agrees.

"Go to bed? We can't just go to bed.. What if something happened?" James asks them in a panicky voice. Kendall grabs a hold of him, making him look right at him.

"James, I'm sure he's fine, okay? If he's not back tomorrow, we'll go look for him again, alright?" James doesn't look convinced, but he solemnly nods.

The boys head back into the apartment and into their rooms. Logan and Kendall in one and James alone into the one he shares with Carlos. His eyes land on the empty bed on the other side of the room one more time before he climbs into bed.

Even though all three were tired, none slept that night. And it wasn't because of the plane ride to London causing it. Concern filled their minds. Anger also filled Kendall's. How could their friend just go and make them worry like this? Always the irresponsible one. Why couldn't he just think before he did things? Didn't he realize what he was doing to other people?

These were the thoughts he had in his mind when the first rays of sunshine shone into their room that morning. He jumped out of bed, angry look etched on. Ready to face their friend and let him know exactly what he thought.

"Alright, Carlos. This is the last time you…" He stops talking when he finds only his mother, Katie and James sitting at the breakfast table. All look concerned. "He's still not here?"

James just shakes his head. "He knows it's breakfast time, Kendall. But he's not here."

"Is he back?" Logan's voice suddenly sounds behind him. But one look on the worried faces at the breakfast table gives him all the answers he needs.

"Just relax, okay? I'm sure he just wandered off and fell asleep. It can happen, right?" Kendall tries a smile. But it fades as fast as it came and no smiles are returned.

Pretty soon everyone at the Palmwoods is enlisted in helping to find their friend, Carlos Garcia. Their flight to Europe completely forgotten and put second. Even the people from Rocque Records are soon searching through LA.

The police are called in when they themselves have nowhere else to look.

But after a while, they have to inform the family that the 16 year-old Latino is officially on the list of missing persons. Nowhere to be found.

The three friends never give up. But their friend seems to have vanished without a trace. Lost in the world. His family soon accepts that he is really gone, never to return. They even hold a funeral for him.

But for James, Kendall and Logan, this is just a mockery. They refuse to go. Refuse to accept their friend to be dead. In their minds, he is still out there. Out there somewhere, waiting for them to find him and bring him home.

2011 was going to their year. But it was all over in one night, when they lost one of their own. Some say it was that moment Big Time Rush was officially over, even though they never announced it until six months later.

One thing was true, 2011 was a year they would never forget. This was very true. For all four of them…

So, another story by me. Expect a lot of drama, hope you like this one as well.

Until next time!

Love, Baxxie


	2. Chapter 2 Coping

Chapter 2 Coping

Two years since he disappeared. Two years since the four hockey friends from Minnesota were torn apart. They lost him, their youngest friend, nevr saw him since. But the three friends left behind never gave up. Not when a funeral was held for him by his parents. Not when the police explained that there was no way he could be alive after all this time.

Two years, but they still held hope. That's just how they were. They had each other's backs. And the other side of the story, admitting that he was really gone, just hurt too much. So, after two years they still searched for him.

"Okay, I was in the park today, showed his pictures again. But no one even recognized him." Logan tells his friends as he walks into their shared LA apartment.

"I hung up some new posters, but no responses yet." Kendall added.

"We did get some new sightings on the website for him. But they all turned up nothing." James adds dejectedly.

The three sit on their enormous couch together, staring off into space. The apartment was big enough to hold four people, all the furniture seemed to say there was a fourth occupant. That's the way they liked it. They always told anyone staying over that the guest room wasn't available. Because it wasn't a guest room. That was his room. They had decorated it in his favorite style. Some people just called it creepy. It was almost like a ghost room, even though no one had ever stayed there. Only the boys were really allowed to go in and they only did so to clean it ever so often.

It was like it was waiting for him. Until the day he would return. A helmet lay on the bed, ready to be worn by its new owner. The old one hadn't been found. It wasn't surprising, seeing as how he never went. That god they never found it. It meant they could keep up hope.

People tried to convince them to leave it, to move on with their lives. But the way they put it, they never could until they knew. Even it that meant finding his body, at least then they knew what happened. They needed to see him. Only then would they truly be able to go on.

These two years had been difficult. Not only did they spend everyday coming home all depressed because he hadn't been found, again. But they had to live together, with the three of them in a silent apartment in LA. Sometimes they would try to crack jokes, like they used to. But then memories of that fourth smile and his laughter would make them all stop again.

Many times they had woken up to screams of terror when one of them dreamt that horrible dream in which they did find him. Other times, a nicer dream led them to tears, because it never happened. They hadn't found him.

Things weren't the same. Their families all stayed in Minnesota. They begged the three to join them. But how could they? What if he came back? They couldn't leave him behind. It just wasn't right.

So they stayed in LA. Not as Big Time Rush. That was just too painful. No, that was kept in the closet. When they found him, they could take the lock from the door again. But for now, other ways had to be found to make money.

James had started modeling. He always wanted to, he still had the face. It paid good money. But it was exhausting, having to be fake all the time. Walking in with a fake smile plastered on his face, it felt wrong.

Kendall could have gone to play for the LA professional team. They tried to encourage him. But it only reminded him of the good old days in Minnesota, laying hockey with his three best friends. That just wasn't an option.

So, he tried something else. He became a songwriter. This way, he could still stay in the music industry, and he could deal with all his feelings at the same time. It was the only way he could cope. Else he would have lost his sanity a long time ago.

Logan, well, he could have finally started his long time dream of becoming a doctor. Everyone pretty much expected him to. But life hadn't been going the way he had planned for a while now. So why stop the process? He decided to try out the one thing no one would have believed he would do; he became a stunt double.

There was only one person who knew about his daredevil side. He would have been rotting for him all the way. Sometimes just the thought of that was enough to brighten up his day. But for now he would have to settle for only James and Kendall, who supported him, but never the way he knew the lost one would have.

"You know, I really hoped that last e-mail I got would have gotten us somewhere. It seemed so like him. But it turned out to be just another joke." James hisses. Kendall just pats him on the back.

"Well, what about the one from Saturday? That seemed real." Logan offers.

"Yeah." James snorts. "Turns out a girl made it up, because she really wanted to meet us. She was actually disappointed when only I showed up. Apparently she used to be a BTR fan."

Logan groans and lets himself fall back into the comfortable couch cushions.

"Why can't people be serious about this? How are we ever supposed to find him if we keep getting bogus replies like this? What if we get a message about an actual sighting and we're off answering to these losers? We might not get there in time."

"Logan, relax. We've never ignored a sighting. Yeah, so a lot of them are fakes. But you'll see, on day the real call will come in and you'll be glad we followed up on all of them." Kendall assures him.

"It's just so frustrating sometimes." James answers. Logan nods.

"Guys, we promised we would keep looking. Look, I know this is hard. But if this is what it takes to find him, I say we just have to deal with it." Kendall tells his friends, going back into leader-mode with a small smile. The others sigh, before slowly agreeing. "Now come on, who's up for some corndogs?" He says excitedly before getting up from the couch.

The other two grin and cheer like little kids, before following their friend into the kitchen.

One would have thought this ritual would have hurt more than anything. But for them, it was the one thing that kept their spirit going the most. So every Friday they would eat corndogs for dinner, making sure they got in touch with their inner child, like Carlos would have. Had he been there.

_Meanwhile, near a seemingly abandoned building in an unknown place…_

"Are you sure this is the place?" Detective Nathan Parker asks his partner, Detective Lucy Crimson as they eye up the building from their car.

"Yep, this should be it. Our informant has never been wrong before."

"Alright, let's do this." He decides. Both of them slowly get out, getting their guns ready just in case. They wave down some fellow officers in other cars as they start to surround the building.

"Just remember, be careful, there's no telling what we might find in there." Lucy gives one last warning, before nodding to an officer. With on swift kick, he knocks the door down. A lot of yelling is heard as the officers swarm the building.

One thing was for sure, what they found was nothing they expected. Bodies lay on the ground, dead or alive, it wasn't certain just yet. Only one other person was standing, seeming to guard a huge bolted door behind him. He didn't make a single sound, but the gun held tightly in his shaking hands was enough to stop everyone dead in their tracks.

_So, what do you think? Sorry for skipping two years, but it'll make sense soon ;)_

_Thanks for the reviews so far, hope you like this story as much as my other ones!_

_See ya later!_

_Love, Baxxie_


	3. Chapter 3 Emotional eyes

Chapter 3 Emotional eyes…

"Okay, everyone just take it easy." Lucy announces, while the officers and her partner and herself hold up guns to face the young man in front of them. Something wild is in his eyes, but his hands are shaking.

"Put down the gun!" Nathan screams at him. They try to advance on the man, but he just points the gun higher towards them. He doesn't make a sound, but the way he stands in front of the door is enough evidence. Something is behind that door and he will do anything possible to stop them from finding out.

"Just put the gun down and nothing bad will happen." Lucy says, trying to sound as calm as possible. She starts to step closer, but stops when he points the gun at her. "Okay, you know what? I am going to put down my gun. See?" She slowly lowers her gun to the floor when her partner looks at her in confusion.

"No one is going to hurt you. We're from the police, we just want to find out what happened here." She calmly says, ignoring the questioning look from the other officers. She can see the scared look in the brown eyes in front of her. Other emotions are present, but he covers them as she tries to figure them out.

She gives a nod to her partner, signaling him to follow her lead. He gives her a look that says he doesn't agree.

"Now all of us will put down our guns, so you can see we are not here to hurt you. We just want to ask a few questions. I'm going to walk closer now and you're going to give me your gun, alright?" She says in a tone as if speaking to a child.

The man seems to hesitate even more and backs up into the bolted door behind him as Lucy walks closer. The other officers slowly put down their guns as well when Nathan signals them to do so.

"My name is Lucy Crimson, I'm a detective for the LAPD and this is my partner Nathan Parker. See, this is my badge."

Nathan looks on in the background, still confused. Did Lucy not see the four dead guys sprawled out on the floor? This guy is the only one left standing and he holds a gun. Yeah, he looks young, but he could be a vicious killer. She always was to naïve for her own good, too trusting. Very dangerous for this job, but their boss saw something in her. And truthfully, she did get the job done.

"What is your name?" The young man doesn't answer. He just keeps the gun held high. He looks ready to shoot anyone who comes closer to that door behind him. What could possibly be in there? More bodies?

"Okay, you don't have to tell me. But you will have to give me that gun now. I know you don't want to shoot anyone. You're just doing the job given to you, right? You're just guarding that door. But you know what? You don't have to do that anymore. Just give me the gun and step away from the door and nothing bad will happen. Don't do anything you'll regret." She warns him as she inches closer. He keeps glancing at the door behind him in a slight panic.

"I promise whatever is behind that door, nothing bad will happen. You don't seem like a bad person. Now just give me the gun and this will all be over soon." She says in a near whisper as she is close enough to touch him. He looks ready to break down. She holds out her hand for the gun, when suddenly he lashes out and goes to pull the trigger. She grabs his arm and struggles to point the gun to an empty part in the building, when BANG. She quickly grabs the gun from his trembling hands and goes to stand up. Two officers run up and tackle the young man to the ground. He doesn't make a sound, but tears fall down his face and he struggles to get free from their grasp.

"Well, that was stupid." Nathan whispers to Lucy as she empties out the gun, preventing anyone from using it again.

"Hey, we have access to the door, don't we?" Nathan just rolls his eyes.

"yeah and now how do open the lock?"

"Didn't you ever learn how to pick locks?"

"Uhm, I trained to become a cop, not a criminal." This time Lucy rolls her eyes. She gets down on one knee in front of the lock, picks a bobby pin from her hair and starts to mess around with the lock.

In the background, four officers are now trying to restrain the young man on the floor as he struggles to get to the door.

After a few seconds, the long awaited CLICK is heard as the lock opens up.

"Alright, are you ready?" Lucy asks her partner as she puts her hands on the door. He nods and puts his hands on it as well. Together they put in all their strength and pry the heavy door open.

Behind the door is a sight none of the officers present will ever forget. A large lighted up room is revealed. It looks dirty, but that it not the sight that makes them all gasp. It's more the group of children and young teens covered in bruises and tattered clothes staring at them that leaves them all in shock.

All the young eyes show panic at the strangers in front of them. Nobody moves as they try to figure out what is going on.

"oh my god.." Lucy whispers in shock. "Nathan, get some paramedics over here." She yells at her partner, who quickly snaps out of his shocked daze and rushes outside to yell into his radio.

"Uhm, my name is Lucy Crimson, I'm a detective with the LAPD. We're here to help you." Still nobody moves. "What are your names?" Soon, a small girl with blind curls steps forward hesitantly. An older male teen tries to stop her, but she keeps walking towards Lucy.

"I'm Melissa.."

"Hi Melissa. How old are you?"

"I'm 11. We're all different ages."

"And where are your parents? How did you get here?"

"I don't know where my parents are. The bad guys took all of us. Some have been here for years."

"And how long have you been here?" The girl shrugs.

"I'm not sure anymore."

"Who did this to you, sweetie? Was it him?" She says, pointing at the struggling young man on the floor. The girl's eyes go wide.

"No, don't hurt him!" She suddenly yells out, before starting to run up to the officers. Lucy grabs a hold of her. "No, let me go, you can't hurt him. He didn't do anything!"

Slowly the other children hesitantly walk through the door and their eyes go wide as well, seeing the struggle going on.

"Hey, let go of him!" One of the male young teens yells out. Other officers come up to help prevent the children from attacking the officers restraining the young male on the floor.

"But isn't he one of the bad guys?" Lucy asks Melissa, who is now crying while still struggling in Lucy's arms.

"No, he's one of us!" Lucy turns her stare to the young man on the ground. One of them?

"What do you mean he's one of you?"

"He's normally on our side of the door. But he didn't want them to hurt us anymore, so he snuck out to stop them. Please don't hurt him!" She screams out in terror.

"Jenkins, Grace, let him go." Lucy orders the main officers holding him down.

"He tried to shoot you."

"I said, let him go!" They reluctantly let him go. Lucy lets go of Melissa, who runs for the young man, who now slowly sits up with tears streaming down his face. His body is trembling as Melissa grabs on to him, hugging him close. He hugs her back and Lucy is surprised to see him glaring directly at her.

She steps closer, but the man hastily stands up and holds Melissa tight. Again, there is fear in his eyes, but a direct warning as well. She watches the girl silently say something to him, wishing she were closer to hear exactly what. Then suddenly, the young man seems frustrated. The young girl seems to argue with him and with a lot of reluctance he puts her down onto the floor.

He glares at Lucy, a look of mistrust is heavy as well. Melissa actually walks up to Lucy and surprisingly grabs her hand. Lucy looks down at the little girl, who gives her a warm smile. She does her best to smile back, but it fades when she sees the look into the man's eyes.

"Don't worry about him. He's just trying to protect all of us. He has from the beginning. He's like our big brother. He's really funny too." She says with a big smile, but it quickly fades into a sad frown. "Well, he used to be. And he used to sing songs too. But he stopped talking." She says in a quiet voice. Lucy frowns while giving the young man another look. She watches as other officers are trying to persuade him to come with them. He backs up, fights them, and tries everything to stay away from them.

"What's his name?" She quietly asks, while keeping an eye on the scene in front of her.

"His name's Carlos. He got hurt a lot…"

_Hi! Yeah, I'm thinking you already saw this coming. But I still wanted to try to keep in the suspense. Were you at least a little bit surprised?_

_So he is still alive! But what happened? Read and review to find out soon!_

_Thank you for the great comments already, I just love writing _

_Love, Baxxie_


	4. Chapter 4 Trapped

Chapter 4

Lucy slowly walks out of the building with Melissa still holding her hand. Paramedics have arrived and are checking the children found and guiding them to the arrived ambulances. Other officers have arrived to check the building for evidence, taking pictures of everything, including the four bodies found.

Melissa happily chats away about the family she was taken from and all the children she met here. Lucy can't believe how a girl who went through all of this can stay so full of life? Maybe she hadn't been there very long.

They are suddenly interrupted by five officers who are dragging a struggling and kicking Carlos out of the building. Lucy's heart goes out to him. But they are only trying to help him.

"No, Carlos!" Melissa screams, but Lucy holds her back.

"They're only trying to help him, sweetie."

"but they're hurting him."

"They're trying to be as gentle as possible, he's just not helping." She says, putting it mildly.

"Hey, a little help here!" One officer yells at two paramedics walking. They look up with wide eyes and quickly rush over.

Carlos starts to fight even harder when he sees how the paramedics want to help. He looks at the syringe with wide eyes, struggling to get away.

"Now, just calm down, this won't hurt a bit."

"No, they can't. You have to stop them!" Melissa screams, tears streaming down her face now. Lucy looks a little confused.

"It's nothing bad. They're just going to make him sleep a little while. It's the only way they can help him."

"No.. that's what they used to do too. Always before something bad happened.." Melissa says while she sobs. Lucy looks confused when she suddenly realizes what the girl is talking about. She puts the girl into the arms of a female paramedic and rushes over to the paramedic holding the syringe.

"hey, wait! Stop, don't use that! Don't.." She stops running when she sees the paramedic already pulling the now empty syringe out of the man's arm. After a few seconds he stops struggling and his body becomes limp. One of the paramedics picks him up and starts to carry him to a waiting ambulance. Lucy watches with regret as the ambulance drives away.

She then marches over to the four officers. "Hey! Did you not hear me yell out, wait? Stop, don't use that?" The four officers look at each other.

"Yeah, but we didn't have a choice." One officer speaks up.

"Yeah, I mean, you saw him. He was out of control. I mean, you should see the bruises he left."

"he was a lot stronger than he looked." The others nod in agreement. Lucy glares at them and hits all four in the arm.

"I gave you an order and you ignored it!" She screams at them.

"Hey, take it easy, detective. What were we supposed to do? It got him to calm down and now he can't hurt himself or anyone else anymore."

"You shouldn't have let them give him that sedative. You shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because, that's what those guys used on these kids before they got hurt."

"How do you know that?"

"The little girl told me."

"Well, we didn't know that. It was for his own good, you know that." The officers start to walk away when a colleague calls them to help with the bodies inside. Lucy stomps the ground and lets out a frustrated growl.

"here, drink this. You look like you could use it." Nathan, her partner says, holding out a cup.

"Coffee? Got something stronger?" She growls. He sighs and puts his arm around her.

"Come on, lets' head back to the station. We should go explain how a simple drug bust turned out to be a quadruple homicide and some sick children's prison." She sighs, suddenly it comes to her that they did need to do that.

"Oh, this day can not get any worse."

_A while later…_

"What do you mean they're not in the system?" She screams into the phone. "They're kids, they all went missing. Don't tell me by some coincidence none of their parents donated their DNA? How did they ever think their kids would be found? Just check again. I don't care if you ran it twice already, try again!" She screams and slams the phone down. She sits down at her desk and puts her head in her hands.

"Bad news?" Nathan asks her.

"That was the lab. Apparently none of these kids' are in the system. So now, we finally got them free, but we have no way of getting them back to their families, because we don't know who they are!"

"Whoa, take it easy. You know, there is always another way." Lucy looks at him.

"You can't be serious, Nathan. We can't release their pictures. Not when they look like this. They're just kids, no one should be seen on the news like this. We should be protecting them."

"Well, do you want to be the one to tell them their families aren't coming?" Lucy sighs, then punches her desk in frustration.

"Damn it!"

"I'll let the CSI team know. They're already taking pictures of their bruises for evidence. Don't worry, I'll make sure the pictures are decent."

Lucy pinches the bridge of her nose as Nathan heads to his desk and starts to make the phone call. She suddenly gets up and grabs her coat.

"hey, where are you going?" Nathan calls out to her, phone still held to his ear.

"To the hospital. These kids shouldn't be alone." She yells back while walking out the door. Nathan wants to head out after her, but someone has already answered his call. Reluctantly he sits back down and starts to discuss the plan.

Lucy heads into the hospital and straight for the nurses desk.

"Hi, I'm here to see the kids that were brought in earlier. I was one of the detectives that found them." She says, showing her badge. The nurse behind the desk takes a close look.

"Ah, yes, fifth floor and to your right." She says, before picking up the ringing phone. Lucy nods a thank you and heads straight for the elevators.

Coming out at the fifth floor, she sighs heavily, but tries to stay calm. Everywhere she looks, she can see the kids she helped rescue. They look a little better, some happily eating, others being covered in bandages. She walks down the hallway, looking for one familiar face. When she rounds the corner, she finds the child she's looking for. Melissa stands in front of a window, staring sadly with her hands on the glass.

Lucy goes to stand beside her. She puts a hand on the girl's shoulder, making her jump.

"It's just me, Lucy. Remember me?" Melissa smiles quickly and even hugs her. Lucy is stunned for a moment. Then the girl lets go and quickly turns to the glass window again. "What are you looking at, sweetie?" She turns to look through the window as well.

There she sees the most heartbreaking sight she has ever seen. There, in a hospital bed lays Carlos. His eyes are still closed and there is no movement except for his chest steadily rising up and down. He is all alone. But that is not the reason Lucy is getting angry. It's the way he is completely strapped down to the bed like a wild animal.

When a nurse walks past her, she immediately addresses him.

"Is this really necessary?" She asks, pointing to the young man in the room.

"I'm afraid so. I know it's a sad sight. But we're just trying to keep him from harming himself or others. It's doctor's orders."

"But he's just scared. If someone could just talk to him, I'm sure he…"

"I wish I could do more, but I can't. I'm sorry. If you'll excuse me, I have other patients to tend to." The nurse tells her. Lucy heads back to Melissa and puts her arm back around her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Melissa. Everything will be fine."

_A few hours later…_

"How about I check the park again?" James asks his friends.

"James, we already looked there today."

"What about Palmwoods?"

"Kendall just came from there." Logan tells his friend, sighing as he looks dejected. "It's alright, James. We'll go looking again tomorrow."

"Hey, guys! You should read this e-mail some girl sent; she says she saw Carlos on TV." Kendall yells from the study, where their laptop sits at the moment.

"Well, duh, our music videos are constantly repeated." James scoffs.

Kendall shakes his head, deleting the message. He goes back to surfing the web, trying to find a new pair of Vans. Then suddenly another envelope pops up, announcing another e-mail. He goes to read it, it's the exact same message, from another girl this time.

"What is up with these girls?" He mutters to himself, before deleting thet message as well. He moves the cursor to go back to the Web, when suddenly e-mails start pouring in. "What the…"

James and Logan quietly sit on the couch, when suddenly Kendall runs in.

"Guys, I think we need to turn on the TV." He says, panting a little from running so fast.

"Why?"

"Just do it!" He snaps and Logan quickly struggles to turn on the TV. "So, what are we supposed to be watching?"

"Shh!" Kendall replies and Logan and James share a look that he is losing his mind.

A special report is on.

"_I'm standing here in downtown LA at the abandoned building where this morning four bodies were found dead. The police was called in for a possible drug lab, but after finding the bodies, they found something much more disturbing. Right behind me, in this building, 15 children and teenagers were found locked up without food. Some may have been there for years, police say. Most children are doing amazingly well, considering the circumstances they were in._

_It is unconfirmed at this moment, but the children are said to have gone through physical and emotional abuse. According to an unknown source, all children were kidnapped from their homes and locked up in a small space. This was closed off with a large bolted door._

_At the moment, the identities of the children are still unknown. The police have tried to run their DNA, but surprisingly, none of them seem to be in the system. Because the police desperately want to find out their identities, they would like to ask you, at home for help. Right after this message, pictures of the children will be shown, along with a phone number. If you recognize anyone, please call the number at the bottom of the screen. Now, I must warn you, the upcoming pictures may disturb you."_

The three guys look on in shock. "Apparently this has been repeating for about an hour now." Kendall tells his friends.

They watch as all the pictures of the children found come up on the screen. They gasp at the state they're all in. But none make them gasp as much as the last one.

"Oh my god…" James whispers. In a second, all three guys jump off the couch and run out the door, leaving the news broadcast on repeat in the background.

_Meanwhile back at the hospital…_

Lucy Crimson walks through the hospital, drinking her 8th cup of coffee for the day. She moves to get back to Melissa, when her phone rings.

"hello?"

"_Crimson, how are things at the hospital?"_ Nathan's voice sounds through the speaker.

"Oh, just great." She replies sarcastically.

"_That good, huh? Hey, listen. I just wanted to call you to let you know the news broadcast with the pictures of all the kids found was a big success_."

"Seriously? How big of a success are we talking here?"

"_Well, ever since we ran it, the phone has been ringing non-stop. We've already managed to find the families of 7 of the children. And get this; the guy with the gun?"_

"Yeah?"

"_We got like a thousand calls for him. Apparently he's famous."_

"What? What are you talking about?"

"_He was in some boyband, Big Time Rush. They were becoming really successful, even heading out for a European tour, when he went missing. That's when they broke up and they haven't been heard from since."_

"When was this?"

"_That was two years ago."_ She gasps. "_Yeah, I know. I thought you'd might like to know, since you were the only one who actually trusted him."_

She hears the guilt in his voice. "So, what's his name? Do we know where his family is?"

"_His name is Carlos Garcia, we're still trying to get a hold of his family. So, what's the word on the other kids?"_

"Most are doing fine. For a lot of them, they only lived through emotional abuse. I think somehow, these men stayed away from them. That goes for the youngest ones. The older ones weren't so lucky. They went through physical abuse as well. But we won't know the full extent until the doctors can fully examine them. And that can't happen until we have their parent's consent."

"_Hm, okay. Do you think any of them were.. you know.."_

She sighs, knowing exactly what her partner means. "I don't know. Maybe. Like I said, we'll have to wait for their families to show up."

"_Okay, well, keep me posted. I'll call you if I have more information too."_

"Alright. Thanks, Nathan." She says, before hanging up. She slowly walks back onto the ward, sadly seeing Melissa still standing in front of the glass window. She joins her and stares at the young man. Well, Carlos Garcia, it's nice to meet you. She looks on in disbelief. How did he go from being famous and in a boyband to completely losing control? She shudders at the thought of what could have happened to him in those two years he'd been stuck there. She didn't really want to know. But being a detective, it was her job to figure it out.

She keeps staring, when suddenly his eyes open. He looks at the window with confusion and tries to sit up. He then looks even more confused when he finds he can't.

Lucy holds Melissa tightly as she starts to cry again. It is sad indeed as he struggles in his restraints. It just wasn't fair. It wasn't his fault. He just needed to learn to trust people again. It wouldn't be easy after all he went through. She just wishes it revolved around mental or emotional abuse. But she was afraid that that sadly wouldn't be the case…

_So, what did you think of this one? Yep, they finally found out who he is and the guys are on their way. What will happen next?_

_Thank you for all the support and I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know!_

_Until next time!_

_Love, Baxxie_


	5. Chapter 5 Reunited

Chapter 5 Reunited

"James, slow down!" Kendall yells from the backseat of the car.

"You're going to get us killed!" Logan yells from beside him.

James doesn't respond. He keeps his eyes focused on the road, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles have turned white.

"James!" They shout in unison.

"We have to get there, he needs us." He simply replies.

"Carlos does need us. But I'm sure he needs us in one piece!" Kendall yells.

"James, I know how you feel, alright? But running red lights and driving way past the speeding limit is not going to make it better." Logan calmly tells his friend. "We want to get to Carlos too, but he would want us to be okay. So please slow down the car, James.."

James doesn't respond. But the two in the backseat sigh deeply with relief when they feel the car gradually driving slower. But they want to face-palm when they see they're already at the hospital. They have to race to keep up with James, who is already out of the car and inside the hospital He marches towards the nurse's desk.

"We're here to see Carlos Garcia." He announces to the nurse, a small older Afro-American woman, who stares at him over her librarian glasses. "We're his best friends." Logan and Kendall stand behind him, panting.

"What he said." Kendall stammers. Logan just nods.

Suddenly the phone rings and the nurse goes to pick it up.

"Hey, you can't just ignore us!" James yells, getting angrier by the second. Logan and Kendall share a worried look. "Excuse me?"

"James, maybe you should calm down." Logan whispers to him.

"No, I'm not going to calm down. I asked her a question and she's just ignoring me."

"James, she is talking on the phone, maybe to another patient? Maybe we should just sit down." Kendall offers, slowly pulling on his friend's arm. James shrugs it off, marching back to the nurses' station, where the nurse just hung up.

"Okay, 'Agness'. Now that you're off the phone, why don't you answer my question; where is Carlos Garcia?"

"I'm afraid I can't give you that information, unless you're immediate family." She calmly tells him.

"What? What are you talking about? We're his best friends, we are his family!" He screams at her. Logan and Kendall gently put their arms around him, trying to keep him from attacking the woman.

"I'm sorry, son. I wish I could help you, but only immediate family is allowed on the fifth floor." She says.

"But we were the ones who searched for him that whole time. His family just pronounced him dead!" He says, his voice slowly breaking as tears begin to shine in his eyes.

"Uh, James.." Logan starts, realizing what the nurse said.

"No, we should be the ones who get to see him. We care a lot more about him.."

"James.." Kendall tries.

"We looked everywhere for two years and now that we found him, we can't even see him? That's just not fair.."

"James!" Kendall yells now.

"What!" James yells back.

"The nurse said he's on the fifth floor." James immediately calms down.

"Oh. Really?" He turns back to the nurse, who is now on the phone again. He turns to his friends who both nod. "Well, what are we waiting around for? Let's go, let's go!"

Kendall and Logan roll their eyes, before following their friend. The nurse 'Agness' keeps her attention on the patient on the phone. But as she hears the three boys leave, she can't help but smile warmly.

As the guys finally reach the fifth floor, James rushes out of the elevator, not even waiting for his friends. They rush after him.

"James, can you just hold up for a second? You don't even know where you're going."

"Yes I do. I'm going to find Carlos." He replies without looking back.

"James, you don't know where he is. This is a big hospital."

"He's on this floor, so it shouldn't be too hard."

He walks through every hallway, stops to look through all the windows. He even opens a few doors without thinking. Logan and Kendall apologize every time for their friend's erratic behavior.

Just when they round another corner..

"Look out!" Someone yells from behind them. They turn around to figure out what's going on, when they are knocked aside by a figure running very fast. As they slowly get up, three orderlies nearly run them over as well. As they're finally standing again, they look around, a little dazed.

"Okay, what just happened?" Logan asks, confusion eminent in his voice. Kendall shrugs.

"Beats me. James, are you okay?" But James isn't listening. He is standing in the middle of the hallway, staring after the figures that ran past them with wide eyes. "James?" Kendall asks again. He lightly touches his arm, when James jumps. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I think that was Carlos…" He nearly whispers. The other guys don't respond, they just stare at the same spot their friend is, before all three of them rush off the same way.

They run around the corner, checking the hallway for a sign of the running people. Then James stops without warning, making Logan and Kendall almost crash into him.

"James, what the hell.." Kendall starts, but he stops when he sees what his friend is staring at. There, right in front of them, the three orderlies are holding down a heavily fighting Carlos, while one is holding a syringe.

Two years. It took them two years to find him. They always had hoped someday they would, but none had thought of what would happen when the moment finally came. In their minds, nothing would be different. They would just lock him into their arms and he would bring joy and laughter back into their home.

But this… they barely recognized the young man struggling on the floor. He was a lot thinner, his hair was longer, his clothes looked old and worn. But still, that wasn't the reason he looked so different. It was his eyes. They no longer held that youthful spark they had missed all this time. These eyes looked wild, filled with pain, hurt, anger. So many different emotions fell through those eyes.

James can't take it anymore. He yells out a roar and throws himself onto the orderlies, trying to pry them off Carlos. Kendall and Logan's eyes go wide. What should they do? Should they do the same? But they don't even know how much different this Carlos is.

But then they realized; they were best friends. They had grown up together, gone through so many things together. And they had always stuck by each other's side, no matter what happened. This couldn't be an exception.

The two friends share a smile and a nod, before letting out their own battle cries and getting mixed in with the fighting heap on the ground.

"What the hell is going on here?" Nurse Anderson yells when she sees the orderlies fighting the young men. When no one responds, she picks up a phone off the wall. "Get security to the fifth floor, now!"

It doesn't take long before the big security men rush towards the scene and pulls everyone out of the fight, including the orderlies. Carlos rushes away and sits in a corner unseen, knees pulled up and arms holding them tightly.

"Will someone tell me what is going on here?" Nurse Anderson asks the men as they have all seemed to calm down. Immediately everyone starts to shout at the same time. "Everybody quiet!" All men shut up immediately. "Alright, you, what's your name?" She asks, pointing at Logan.

"I'm Logan Mitchell."

"Okay, Logan. Why don't you explain what happened here?"

"Well, my friends and I," He says, pointing towards Kendall and James. "came in here looking for our brother, who went missing two years ago. We finally saw him when he ran us over, being chased down the hallway by those three gorillas." He says, now pointing towards the orderlies, who growl and struggle towards them. Logan jumps back and hides behind a security guard. "When we rounded the corner, they had him pinned to the floor, trying to give him a shot of something. I'm guessing a sedative."

"We were only following doctor's orders. That kid is dangerous. They had him strapped down with restraints in a locked room with a heavy sedative in his body. An hour later, we're chasing him down the halls. No one even knows how he got out, but he's out of control and he needs to be sedated!" An orderly argues.

"He is not dangerous. I'd try to run too if you put me in restraints!" Kendall yells back.

In the meantime, James quietly slips away and goes to find Carlos. He has to bite his lip to keep from crying when he finds his friend in the corner, rocking back and forth, just staring into nowhere. He looks so lost; James just wants to grab him into a hug. But he knows it might be too soon. So he opts to just sit next to him quietly.

"Carlos?" He quietly starts. His friend doesn't look up. James surely but slowly moves his hand up and moves it towards his friend. He doesn't notice the way Carlos starts to tense up.

"Hey! What are you doing? Step away from him, man. You don't know what you're doing." An orderly suddenly tells him. James turns his head towards him.

"Look, all he needs is his friends, his brothers. So just let me handle this." He goes to turn back towards Carlos.

"James, wait. Maybe this isn't such a good idea, maybe you should just come stand over here." Logan suggests. James rolls his eyes and stands up.

"Guys, this is Carlos we're talking about. He wouldn't hurt a fly. He's just confused right now. All he needs is us to be there for him." While he is saying this, Logan nudges Kendall with wide eyes. Kendall looks in the direction he's pointing.

"Uh, James. I think Logan may be right, just step over here. I don't think Carlos is ready for us yet."

"What is your problem? We waited two years to be reunited with him and now you're saying I should stay away from him?"

"James, I really think you should.."

"Kendall, for the last time, this is Carlos. Yeah, he may have a temper now and then, but.." He can't finish the last sentence because of the two arms that suddenly wrap around his neck from behind.

"James!" Kendall and Logan yell. They look on in horror as James struggles to breathe thanks to a wild looking Carlos, who holds a death grip on him. They hurry forward, but the security guards stop them.

"You see, this is why he needs to be sedated. I know you might think he's still your friend, the same person who went missing two years. But trust me, he's definitely not." One of the orderlies says as the three of them race over to Carlos and James. They have to ease up when Carlos tightens his grip on James' throat the closer they get.

"Alright, just take it easy. Why don't you just let go of your friend and everything will be fine." An orderly says, but Carlos isn't letting go.

"Carlos.." Kendall yells out suddenly. Carlos actually whips his head around to him. "Please let go of him. You're hurting him, you're hurting James. Remember, James, your best friend?" Carlos looks a little confused, but when he sees the orderlies coming closer, he grips even tighter.

James is trying with all his strength to pull Carlos' arms away from his throat, but he can feel his strength flooding out as his level of oxygen is dropping.

"Carlos, please… I don't know what you must have been through, but please don't hurt James because of it. He cares about you, we all do. Please let him go.." Logan now pleads, tears sliding down his face.

Carlos looks confused again. The things his old friends are saying seem to be sinking in somehow. He looks at his arms and suddenly he looks panicked. He quickly lets go, letting James drop to the floor. He backs up and stares at his hands and then at James on the ground.

James immediately starts to wheeze as he tries to regain air into his lungs. A male nurse quickly rushes over to help him stand up and walk away. James looks back only once, with so much confusion and hurt in his eyes, he can't stand to look a lot longer.

As Carlos is still dazed about what happened, the orderlies seize the moment to do the job they came to do. They gang up on him with syringe in hand, pouncing on him quickly.

"No, wait!" Kendall shouts at once. "He let go, you can't sedate him now, he'll never trust anyone again!" he struggles against the security guard who is holding a tight grip on him again. Logan just watches sadly as Carlos struggles at first, but soon his body goes limp as the sedative has once again shut down his system.

_A/N Sorry, couldn't just let this be a happy reunion, now could I? I'm just a big fan of drama, like you may have already guessed. I have more angst/drama stories in my head, but I don't want to start them all up at once. I'll have to finish one first ;)_

_Anyway, hope you liked it. Let me know and thank you already for the great support so far!_

_Until the next chapter…_

_Love, Baxxie_


	6. Chapter 6 Separated by the glass

Chapter 6 Separated by the glass…

After a little while, the guys are standing on the fifth floor, staring sadly through a glass window. Kendall and Logan watch the form strapped to a hospital bed. More restraints had to be used than last time and two security guards have taken guard outside the door.

"He looks so thin… Didn't they give them any food?" Logan questions.

"I'm more worried about what they did do." Kendall replies. Logan looks at him, but doesn't respond.

It's the same thought that's been running through his own mind ever since they watched Carlos nearly choke James. Speaking of which, Logan suddenly notices James standing a small distance behind them. Logan walks towards him and winces when he sees James jump a little.

"It's okay, it's just me." James nods and shows a small smile. Logan smiles back, but he also notices his friend is trembling slightly. And he tries his best to ignore the slowly forming bruise on his neck. "Jay?" he asks quietly.

"I'm okay, Logan." He replies with another smile. This one feels more real and Logan feels more reassured. "I guess I just hoped everything would magically be fine, you know? I should've known it wouldn't be so easy. I'm so stupid sometimes."

"James, this isn't your fault."

"Yes, it is. Of course it's my fault. I shouldn't have reached out to him like that. He wasn't ready."

"James…"

"No, Logan. If it's not my fault, then whose is it? It sure as hell isn't Carlos' fault and you know that."

"No, it's not. And it's not your either. You couldn't have known how he would react, none of us did."

"I know whose fault it is. It's those guys that took him and locked him up in that creepy building. They're the ones who turned him into this." Kendall's voice suddenly sounds beside them. "When I get my hands on them…"

"Kendall, they're already gone, remember? They found four bodies in that building. The men who did this are all dead."

"Oh, right. Well, it's a good thing they are, cause I would have killed them myself."

"I know how you feel." James says in agreement. "How did they die anyway?"

"Apparently they were all shot. I heard some officers talking and for some reason they think Carlos did it." Logan explains. The other two stare at him with mouths agape.

"You can't be serious.." Kendall starts. Logan shakes his head. "Wow…"

"You guys can't really believe that." James says all of a sudden. His friends don't reply. "I can't believe you. How could you think that for even a second?"

"James… As much as I hate to think it myself, look at what he did to you. And you didn't even do anything. These guys... well, who knows what they did to him and those kids."

"No, I won't believe it. He wouldn't do that…"

"James, listen. I didn't want to tell you guys this, but when I overheard those officers talking, they said something else. When they got to that building, they found those four dead guys and Carlos standing in front of them. He was holding a gun."

"No, I am not listening to this…" James replies as he starts to walk away.

"James, as much as it hurts, you need to hear this." Logan says as he pulls James's arm. "Carlos tried to shoot the officers who came in and he may have killed those guys."

"No, no, no…"

"James, listen to me. Carlos is not the same guy we grew up with. We can't treat him the way we always did."

"Yes, thank you, Mr. obvious. I think I already got that when he tried to choke the life out of me!" He screams, before he lets himself slide down the wall to the floor and starts to sob. Logan and Kendall exchange looks and then sit down next to him, enveloping him in a tight hug. "I just wanted to help him…"

"We know, James.. It's okay."

"No, it's not… Did you see him? He was gone for two years and I barely even recognize him. He used to be full of life, always trying to find the good in people and trying to make everyone laugh. Now he's so lost… I'm pretty sure he didn't even know who I was…"

"Maybe not at first, but I think he was starting to remember, right before they sedated him again…" Kendall grumbles.

"Hey, are you Carlos Garcia's friends?" The guys look up from the floor at the blond haired woman standing in front of them. "I'm detective Lucy Crimson, I'm one the of the officers who found him." She says, before showing her badge. The guys exchange looks.

Some time later they are all sitting down in a separate waiting room. James has calmed down and Lucy hands him a cup of coffee. He quietly thanks her, before she sits down herself.

"So, you were in a boy band?" The guys share a smile. "It must be difficult to see your friend like this." Their smiles are wiped off in a second. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. This case is noting like I've ever experienced. I don't really deal with people that well." They exchange looks.

"Do you know what happened to him?" James quietly asks.

Lucy sighs. "Well, from the evidence we gathered, it seems likely that your friend was locked up in a separate room in the building we found him in, together with a group of children. The men that took them used a lot of mental and physical abuse on them, although some kids seem to be worse off than others." The guys look hurt, but not shocked to hear this. "We're not sure of any details, because the doctor's can't examine anyone without a parental consent."

"Why would he need that? He's 18, can't he make his own decisions?" Logan suggests.

"Well, even though it's news to me that he is 18, he's not mentally stable enough to make a decision like this. And next to that, he hasn't said a word since we found him."

"Not one word?" Kendall asks.

"I'm afraid not. According to some of the children, he stopped talking a while ago. In fact, his whole personality seemed to have changed over night. The only thing that didn't change was his overprotectiveness of the other kids." The guys smile at hearing that.

"I'm sorry, not that we're not extremely grateful that you're telling us all of this, but why are you telling us all this? Are we even allowed to know? Shouldn't you be telling his family instead of us?" Lucy smiles at Logan. He must be the smart one.

"That would be the normal thing to do. But honestly, I don't do normal. I never have. I saw you boys come in and I can see how much you care about him. As far as I know, you are his family. So, you should be informed. But there is one thing I would like to ask you. We've been trying to get a hold of his parents, but we can't seem to reach them. Do you by any chance know how we can get in touch with them?"

"We honestly don't know. We didn't stay in touch with them after they gave up the search. And then after the 'funeral', they moved away. We don't know were they went." Lucy sighs and nods, before standing up.

"I better go speak to the doctors again, maybe we can find out what happened from the other children."

"I'm sorry we couldn't help you." Logan offers.

"It's okay, boys. I think it's a good thing you came here. I'm sure your friend appreciates it, even if it doesn't seem that way right now." She tells them with a smile. They smile back, before Kendall suddenly jumps up from his chair.

"Wait! Maybe there is a way we can help." Lucy walks back towards them, while Logan and James share a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you really need permission from his parents or would a legal guardian be able to decide?"

"I suppose that might help, but I don't see why he would need a legal guardian if his parents are still alive."

"When we moved to LA, my mom was the only parent that came with us. The other parents all gave their permission that she would take care of us. So while we were in LA, she was the other guys' legal guardian. And because Carlos went missing, we never changed that arrangement. So officially, while we're still here, my mom is still his legal guardian." Logan and James stare in shock at their friend, who just figured all of this out.

"Hm… And do you by any chance know how I might be able to get in touch with her?" Lucy asks him.

"I have her cell phone number right here." He says with a smile.

_3 hours later…_

"Boys? Is it true? Did they really find him?" Jennifer Knight's voice suddenly rings through the hospital floor. The guys stand up and run over to her.

"Mom!" Kendall yells and pulls her into a tight hug. She hugs him back and then looks concerned at the other boys who quickly go back to staring through the glass window. She goes to stand beside them and her hand flies to her mouth with a gasp.

"Oh, my god… What did they do to him?" She says in a near whisper.

"Carlos? It doesn't even look like him…" Another voice suddenly mentions.

"Katie? You came too?" But before she has a chance to respond, Kendall pulls her into a big hug as well.

"Of course. Carlos is my brother, too." The guys smile at that statement. But then they all sadly turn back towards the glass.

Carlos is still under sedation, but he slowly starts to stir again. Panic sets in once again when he finds himself back in the restraints.

"Mrs. Knight?" Lucy's voice sounds from next to them. They all force themselves away from the window. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I'm Detective Lucy Crimson. I was one of the officers who found Carlos and the other children."

"I'm Jennifer Knight. Thank you so much…" She says and hugs Lucy, who awkwardly pats her on the back.

"Yes, well. I was wondering if I could talk to you about the reason we asked you to come here."

_A little while later…_

"So, what do you say, Mrs. Knight?"

"I say you have my permission to do whatever is necessary to help him."

"Thank you very much, I'll go inform the doctors." Lucy says and shakes hands with Jennifer as they walk back to the boys and Katie.

"Well?" Kendall asks her straight away.

"I've given them my full permission, so they're about to examine him for any physical injuries." James looks up quickly.

"So they'll be touching him?"

"Well, they'll have to if they want to found out what those bad men did to him."

"But I couldn't even touch him."

"James, this needs to be done in order for him to get better."

"I know, Kendall… it's just that…" He pauses.

"What, James? It's just what?"

"Have you guys even stopped to think why he doesn't want anyone to touch him? Do you remember what that detective lady told us? He hasn't always been like this. He didn't change until a while ago. In just one night his entire personality changed, heck, he stopped talking!"

"What are you getting at?" Kendall asks.

"Oh god.. I think I know what James means…" Logan suddenly says, his face losing color.

"What? What is going on?" Kendall asks them.

"Nobody else changed like he did, but nearly all of them were physically abused. What if he was… you know…" James starts, not able to say it out loud. Suddenly, Kendall realizes as well.

"…so, could you take a blood sample as well? That way we can figure out if they used any toxins on him. They probably sedated him more than once; we'd like to know what kind they used. Oh, and could you also check if he was… well… abused in other ways?" they suddenly hear Lucy discussing with a doctor quietly.

"You want me to run a rape kit?" The female doctor replies.

"Uhm, yes. We just need to know for sure."

"Of course. I'll have a nurse inform you of the results once we're done."

"Thank you doctor."

The guys have all turned pale and shoot a look towards Mrs. Knight.

"Mom, you can't let them do this." Kendall pleads with her.

"Sweetie, I know this is hard, but isn't this why you called me to come down here so fast?"

"Yes, but that was before I knew what they were going to do.."

"Honey, what did you expect? They need to know what happened to him. I don't like this anymore than you do, but this is the only way we can help him. When we know what happened, we can start to help him go through it. The only thing we can do now is wait and just be there for him."

"We should be in there with him." James announces, before standing up. Logan quickly puts his hand on his arm to stop him.

"We can't. We would only make things worse. James, I know you want to help him, but remember what happened the last time you tried to reach out to him? And he was just sitting on the floor then. He needs to go through this, we'll be right here when it's over." Logan tries to assure him, but there are unshed tears in his own eyes.

"What if he was really… you know.."

"Then we'll be right there to help him through it. He'll be okay, James. He's got us to support him and we're not giving up on him." Kendall says, going straight back into leader-mode as he pulls both his friends in a big hug. Soon, two other sets of hands wrap around them as well.

Everything was going to be just fine. They would check Carlos' injuries and he would be okay. He was just in shock. That was the reason for his behavior. He was fine, soon things would go right back to normal. That's the way it always happened. Fine, everything will be fine…

_A/N: Hi! Yes, more drama. Maybe a little much repetition in this chapter, but it was needed. A long process will be needed, indeed. _

_I hope more people will review this time, but as long as you're enjoying it, that's already great Reviews just really help keep me motivated as a writer. So if you have any comments, suggestions, let me know, I love lengthy reviews most of all ;)_

_Thank you and I really hope you're enjoying reading my stories so far. Until next time!_

_Love, Baxxie_


	7. Chapter 7 Answers

Chapter 7 Answers

Two hours after receiving permission, Lucy heads to Carlos' Garcia's doctor to find out the results of his examination.

She meets her outside a private hospital room, which is fully closed up, making sure the patient inside has privacy. The doctor's name is Dr. Angela Mack and Lucy is surprised to see her look utterly exhausted as she comes out of the room.

"Dr. Mack? How did it go?"

"That poor boy. He struggled a lot in the beginning, we had to hold him down during the entire examination. I've never felt so guilty. He finally stopped struggling after a while, so we could get all the tests done. Those men… the things they did to him.. I just don't have any words for it."

"So there were signs of physical abuse?"

"Oh, absolutely. This boy was completely tortured. Not only did they hit and kick him with their fists, but I found evidence of cigarette burns on his arms. I alos found multiple small puncture wounds on his arms, meaning you were right about him being injected with sedatives. We sent the blood work to our lab already, so pretty soon we'll find out what exactly they injected him with. Next to all of this, I found signs of recent broken bones, but old ones as well. Some were older than the two years he was held up there, but most fractures were caused within the two years. He has some burn marks on his neck as well. I think they shocked him with a Taser more than once."

"Oh my god.."

"That's not all." The doctor says with sadly.

"There's more?"

"I'm afraid so. He tried very hard not to let us see him without his clothes. But after a while he let us remove his shirt and we found even more evidence of physical torture. It's as if they tried out every single way to hurt him. We found bruising on his chest and back, evidence of being hit by a belt or maybe even a whip. And.. they carved letters into his back."

"What did it say?"

"Loser and worthless." Lucy shakes her head in disbelief.

"What about the rape kit?"

"Well, that is the last part. Even without the kit it's pretty obvious that they did rape him, multiple times. But the injuries he sustained for that are more recent than his other bruising. I don't think it's been going on longer than three months max."

"According to the other kids, his personality fully changed a few months ago. Could that be the reason for it?"

"It wouldn't be the first time someone would react that way. In what way did his personality change?"

"Well, from what we understand, he was very energetic in the beginning. He used to make jokes and sing to the other kids, just to try to cheer them up. Then a few months ago, in just one night, everything changed. He does remain overprotective of the other kids, but he stopped talking completely. And since we got him out, no one has been able to touch him, without him freaking out." The doctor sighs.

"Well, I'm not a psychologist, but this is a reaction common to rape victims. And I can say that the angry struggling seems to be over now. Unfortunately since I ran the rape kit, he has completely shut down. I'm afraid he's catatonic now."

"Thank you, doctor. Let me know when you get the results from his blood tests."

"Will do, detective."

Behind the corner, three figures are in complete shock as they just heard the list of tortures inflicted on their best friend.

"No wonder he stopped talking…" Logan whispers.

"Oh, god, Carlos…" James cries out in another whisper.

"Those bastards… those fucking bastards!" Kendall shouts as he punches a wall.

Then all three just slide down the wall next to each other.

"What are we going to do?" James asks.

"We need to be there for him. It's all we can do."

"But he doesn't want anyone to touch him. He barely recognizes us if even."

"Of course it's not going to be easy, but he needs us. We have to try."

"I can't believe they…"

"What are you doing out here?" Lucy's voice suddenly sounds from next to them.

"We just wanted to see how Carlos was doing when we heard you and the doctor talking." Logan explains. Lucy's eyes go wide.

"How much did you hear?"

"Everything…"

"Bos, that really wasn't meant for your ears."

"He's our best friend. We have a right to know and besides, we already know now anyway." She sighs when she realizes they're right.

"Was he the only one they… you know?" James asks out of the blue. They all look at him.

"Well, as far as we know right now, he was, yes."

"Why would they do that? Why him? Just because he's always so nice.. was it just to shut him up?"

"I'm sorry, boys, I really can't answer that question. We don't know why they picked him."

"Maybe it was his age." Logan quietly says.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asks.

"Well, he was the eldest one there, right? At least, that's what I got from the news report. So, maybe they picked him because of his age."

Suddenly it dawns on Lucy. "When was his birthday?" The boys look confused.

"Why does that matter?"

"When was his birthday?" She asks again.

"Like three months ago, why?"

"Oh no.."

"What? Why is that important?"

"Listen, I have to go talk to my partner. Just go back to the waiting room, please. I'll let you know the results from the bloodwork." The boys still look confused, but she hurries away from them before they have a chance to ask more.

She picks up her phone and selects a contact from the list.

"Come on, pick up, Nathan.."

"_Hello? Lucy?"_

"Nathan, I just talked to the doctor who examined Carlos Garcia. Now I know why he's so messed up."

"_Lay it on me."_

She explains in detail everything the doctor told her. Nathan is quiet the entire time.

"_Damn…"_ Is his only response when she's done.

"Yeah, I know. But Nathan, these guys were a lot more messed up than we think."

"_Why would you say that?"_

"Because I think they waited with the rape until his birthday."

"_His birthday? Why would that matter to them?"_

"Because three months ago, he turned eighteen."

"_So you think waited especially until that day? Why?"_

"I think they wanted to break him down. They were sick of him still being himself after all that torture and in some sick twisted way they gave him this as a birthday present. And, since he won't talk and they're all dead, we'l never be able to prove that it really was rape…"

"_Everyone will know he didn't give consent, Lucy."_

"Yes, but there needs to just one person who wants to fight that accusation. And we won't have any proof. He's legally an adult…"

"_Okay, let's just try to sort this out. I guess all we need is him to talk, right?"_

"Yeah and I think this examination just made that even more difficult. The doctor says he became catatonic after she examined him."

"_Well, then we need someone he knows, someone he can trust."_

"Yeah, that won't work. His best friends from that same boy band showed up. He tried to kill one of them when he tried to touch him."

"_Hm… Well, I'm out of ideas then. I'll go try to talk to a friend of mine; he's a psychologist. He's bound to have some ideas on how to deal with this. I'll call you when I get a hold of him."_

"Okay, thanks Nathan." They both hang up. Lucy sighs and runs a hand through her hair. Exhaustion is getting to her.

She's regretting ever getting so close to these kids. But she can't help it; she's already sucked in to it. And now she wants to do everything she can to help them. She's especially growing a weak spot for Carlos Garcia. Poor thing, he went through so much. She even feels for his friends. They care so much about him, but they might not realize how hard this will be. They might never get their friend back. But they do sure seem determined.

She wishes he would just start talking again. But she also knows this may never happen again. He has shut himself down, prepared to do anything to protect himself from getting hurt again.

But still, for some reason she doesn't believe he really killed those men. There's just something inside her telling her it's not right. But what did happen then?

And just like that, she decides to head back to the scene of the crime. Since the only witness won't talk, she'll have to get the story from the evidence. Even though, she is very afraid of what she'll find out…

_Yes, this chapter is a lot shorter than the previous ones, I'm aware of that. I just had a little less inspiration for this chapter. I just wanted to let you all know what he's been through and the have the boys find out as well. Because now the healing process can start. Or at least, they can help to try and get him to heal._

_Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter somewhat. I'll try to come up with a better chapter next time, hopefully make it longer again as well._

_Until then, I hope you enjoy reading this one._

_Love, Baxxie_


	8. Chapter 8 Helping out

Chapter 8 Helping out

The guys immediately went back to Carlos' room after Lucy left, despite her telling them to go to the waiting room. They know they'll only feel more restless, sitting around doing nothing. They want to help him, even thought they don't know how.

They stand in front of the window and watch their once so innocent, happy friend lying in th bed. Still, energy drained from him, staring in the distance. No emotions can be read in his eyes anymore. It's like he closed himself off from the world completely. Catatonic is what Lucy and the doctor said.

It makes them feel angry. He wasn't fine before, in fact, he was far from it. But at least he still showed some emotion. Now, after the examination from the doctor, he was gone. How would they ever have a chance to get through to him now?

"Over here, mommy." They whip their heads to the left in confusion as they see a young girl with blonde hair rushing through the hallway. She clutches her mother's hand, dragging her along as they surprisingly head for Carlos' room.

The guys are too shocked to say anything and the girl is so excited, she doesn't even seem to notice them standing there. She just pulls her mother inside Carlos' room. Then she lets go of her hand and quickly crawls on Carlos' bed.

Their eyes widen at this. What is she doing?

The girl has a big smile on her face as she sits on her knees on his bed and taps him when he doesn't immediately look at her.

He slowly moves his head towards her and her smile fades a little.

"Hi Carlos.. How are you?" He looks down at his hands. "I've missed you!" She squeals and gives him a big hug. He looks scared, but soon a flicker of recognition shows up on his face and he slowly pulls up his arms, gently putting them around the young girl, pulling her closer. They even notice a hint of a smile somewhere, if they look close enough.

"guess what? The doctor told me I get to go home today!" She says with a big smile as she pulls out of the hug. She sits next to him in the hospital bed, leaning against his chest.

The guys notice the girl's mother standing in the doorway, looking at the exchange between the two in amazement.

"Oh, and something else happened! They found my mom and dad." She says, jumping off the bed and heading for her mom. She grabs her hand. "Come on, mom. Carlos, this is my mom. Mom, this is Carlos." Her mother looks hesitant to get closer, but the girl pushes her forward, before getting on the bed again and sitting next to him.

"Uh, hello. I'm Sara Fuller. Melissa told my husband and I all about you. I… I.." She sighs and the guys see she is trying to fight tears. "She told us what you did, how you protected her and all those other children from getting hurt. I just don't know how I could ever thank you.." She says, before the tears start to fall and she starts to sob. Melissa quickly gets off the bed and grabs her mother in a tight hug.

Carlos looks at his hands. The guys can see he's not feeling comfortable with the way he's start fidgeting.

"Sara? Sara, where are you?" A man rushes through the hallway, looking in all the rooms, sighing with relief when he looks inside Carlos' room. "Oh, there you are. I've been looking everywhere."

"Daddy!" Melissa squeals as she lets go of her mother and puts her arms around her father, who picks her up and swings her through the air.

"You ran off so fast, I couldn't keep up. So, what's going on here? Sara, honey, is everything okay?" He asks his wife as he gently puts his daughter back on the floor.

She sniffs and looks at him. As soon as she sees him, she runs over and grabs his hand.

"I'm fine.. This, this is Carlos, the boy Melissa told us about." She says through her sobs, pointing him towards Carlos.

"Oh, you're Carlos? Wow, it's very good to meet you." He holds out his hand, but Carlos only stares at it. Then he looks up more, taking in the man's entire posture. The man is pretty muscular, with strong broad shoulder that stand out in his white, button up shirt. He has a friendly face, with a strong jaw. His hands show rawness from a workingman.

The guys notice with some confusion the sudden turn in Carlos' demeanor. They see his body starting to shake a little and his eyes grow scared. Little by little he tries to move away from the hand that is still in front of him.

The man looks back at is wife and daughter with confusion, before looking back again.

"Uh, you're supposed to shake my hand now." He says, holding it out closer to him. Carlos backs up more and his eyes seem to dart through the room, looking for something.

"He's looking for a way out…" Logan softly says. The other guys look at him.

"What?"

"Carlos. He's looking for a way out of the room, to escape that guy."

"Why would he do that?" James asks.

"I don't know, but I can clearly see it. There's something about that guy that has Carlos feeling scared."

"We should do something." James suggests as he starts towards the doorway. Kendall stops him before he can head in.

"We can't. Remember how he reacted last time?"

"The mark on my neck says I do, thank you." James tells him and Kendall looks down guiltily. "But look at how he reacted to that little girl and the woman. He didn't attack them. And even that guy, he wants to get away, but he's not trying to choke him."

"I want to help him, too, James. But we can't just throw ourselves at him. It's going to take a lot of time for him to trust us enough to let us in."

"But we will try, right?"

"Of course we will. He's our brother."

"Okay, so he's not very well known with courtesies, is he?"

"Leave him alone, Mark. You heard what happened to these kids. He protected them, he protected Melissa. If he doesn't want to shake your hand, just let him."

"Fine." Mark says with a sigh. "I heard about what you did for our daughter. I just want to thank you. Carlos, was it?" He asks. He looks back at his daughter and wife again when he doesn't receive an answer. "Okay, then. Where are your parents, son?" Aagain he is met by silence.

"Daddy, he doesn't talk anymore." Melissa quietly tells him. Mark looks confused.

"He doesn't talk anymore? And why is that?"

"I don't know.." She quietly says, before starting to crawl on the bed and trying to sit with Carlos again. The guys can tell she too has noticed Carlos' nervousness. But before she can fully reach him, Mark grabs a hold of her.

"Daddy, what are you doing? Let me go." She says, struggling in his grasp.

"I really don't think it's a good idea for you to get on strange boy's laps."

"But he's not a stranger. He's my friend."

"He's not your friend, Melissa, he's 18 years old." He says as he gives Carlos a glare. Carlos seems to duck further into his bed.

"daddy, please!" Melissa pleads as she tries to wiggle out of her father's grasp.

"He may have protected you and I am grateful, but that is it, Melissa. Say goodbye to him, you're not seeing him again." Melissa gasps.

"Mark, why are you acting like this? Just let her stay with him."

"No, Sara. Who knows what they did to these kids and how screwed up his mind is right now. He's 18 years old, it's not normal for an 18 year old to have an 11 year-old sitting on his lap, because they're friends."

"What is going through your mind right now? They are friends, Mark. She was gone for a whole year. We got her back with hardly a scratch on her, because he protected her. He's like an older brother to her!"

"She already has an older brother!"

Carlos' eyes dart to the exits again, when he suddenly looks at the window. His eyes go wide as he sees the three guys standing there. His breathing speeds up as he looks at them.

"Oh no, we're with way too many people. We should go, we're making him nervous." Logan says as he starts to move away from the window.

"No, wait a minute. Look." Kendall says as he keeps looking at his friend in the hospital bed. The parents of Melissa keep on fighting, while Melissa has started to cry and tries to reach her arms out towards Carlos. The guys keep their eyes on Carlos and then nearly gasp as they seem to recognize something in his eyes.

Was he asking them for help?

James puts on a big smile and then rushes inside the room. The others are still dumbfounded, but follow soon.

"Oh, wow, I didn't realize it would be so crowded in here. Uh, we kind of wanted to visit our friend here, but according to the visiting hours, only four people are allowed in at a time." James tells them.

"Awkward…" Kendall agrees.

"Uh, who are you?" Mark asks them.

"Oh, I am sorry. I'm James, this is Kendall and this is Logan. We're Carlos' brothers." Mark looks at them with confusion.

"yeah and we really need to see him now. We've been waiting for so long to see him, so we'd really appreciate it if we could have time with him now." Mark exchanges an annoyed glance with Sara, who shrugs.

"Fine. We'll leave. Come on, Melissa." He says angrily, still holding a crying Melissa in his arms. Sara gives Carlos an apologetic look.

"Oh, wait. Uh, we still have room for one more person." Logan suggests with a smile.

"Yeah, we do. So, how about Melissa stays here and you go get some coffee, you look like you need it." Kendall tells the parents. Mark looks offended, but he is so shocked his grip n Melissa loosens and she immediately wiggles free and runs towards Carlos. Mark looks at her in surprise and wants to head towards her, but Kendall stops him.

"I'm sorry, we'd really like some privacy, if you don't mind. Just come back in half an hour to pick up your daughter, I promise we'll take care of her." He tells the enraged father, before closing the door in his face. Mark looks through the window, pounding on it. The guys just look at him and with their hands make movements telling him they can't hear him. Sara just puts her hand on her husband's arm and gently pushes him forward. Just before they leave, she shoots the guys a thankful smile.

The guys turn their attention back to Carlos and smile as Melissa is lying in his arms, softly crying as he holds her. He's a little afraid it seems, to look them in the eyes. He seems a little uncomfortable again.

Just when James wants to say something, the door opens.

"What is going on in here? Who said he could have any visitors?" Dr. Mack asks as she steps into the room.

"That would be our fault, sorry." Kendall says immediately. "We were just helping him out. We're his friends, I'm.."

"I know who you are. And I understand why you're here, but it's just too soon right now. We're still trying to run some tests on him and he's not ready for regular visitors yet."

"We understand. We'll leave. But, could Melissa stay? She needs him right now and I think he kind of needs her too. Her parents will come pick her up in half an hour." James asks Dr. Mack. She looks at him in confusion, before directing her gaze towards Carlos and the sniffling girl in his arms. Her look immediately softens and she sighs.

"I guess that would be okay. But you boys please go back to the waiting room. I'll let you know if he can have visitors, okay?"

"Thanks, doctor." Logan tells her as they all give her a genuine smile. She smiles back at them.

"Just get out of here." She tells them with a small chuckle. The guys leave the room, but not before looking back at Carlos one more time. They're surprised to see him looking straight at them. And for a moment, they find a new expression in his eyes. He's thanking them. They smile and nod at him, before hurrying away.

"oh my god… That was amazing…" Logan breathes as they round the corner.

"I know. Did you see his eyes? He asked for our help.. That means he really does recognize us." James tells them.

"He totally did, guys, he really did…" Kendall agrees. They smile and cheer out loud. They start to snicker at the doctors and nurses who jumped at their cheers, looking at them like they're insane.

_**So, what did you think? Liked it? He still has a long way to go, but something is happening already. Their friendship is so strong; they'll pull him through.**_

_**Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter. I would like to thank Rockport268 for the ideas in this chapter, your really helped me out, so thanks a lot!**_

_**Thanks everyone else for the support and I hope you enjoy reading!**_

_**Love, Baxxie**_


	9. Chapter 9 New Info

Chapter 9 New Info

The guys rush back to the waiting room with huge smiles on their faces. They walk through the door and see Mrs. Knight and Katie looking at them with raised eyebrows.

"Mom, you'll never guess. We went to see Carlos and he recognized us!" Kendall beams. Jennifer Knight smiles slightly unsure.

"Yeah, we went in and he asked us to save him from this really mean guy, who was trying to pull Melissa away from him. And then he thanked us!" James adds.

"I'm sorry, but he asked you to save him? And who's Melissa?" Jennifer asks the boys.

"Well, he didn't really ask us, I mean, he doesn't talk. But it was in his eyes, mom. You should have seen it." Kendall tells her with a happy sigh following it.

"And Melissa is one of the other kids saved from that place. Apparently she's really close to Carlos. She wanted to hug him, but her parents were with her and her dad tried to take her away, so we helped out." Logan explains. Jennifer still looks confused, but she shakes her head, not bothering to ask any more. She's just happy to see her boys smile again like they haven't in quite a while.

"Hey, do you think he might recognize me too if I go see him?" Katie suddenly asks. The guys share worried looks.

"Uh, maybe that's not a good idea, Katie." Kendall starts.

"Why not?"

"Well, uh, he might not be totally up for it. I mean, he's been through a lot these past few days. You know, meeting all a lot of new people and such." Logan tries.

"So you think he'll hurt me too if I get too close?" She asks with her arms crossed. The guys' eyes widen. How could she know?

"Katie, we just don't want to see you get hurt." James calmly tells her, looking her straight in the eyes.

"And besides, he's not really up for regular visitors yet. The doctor said she'll let us know when he is." Logan adds. Katie rolls her eyes and sighs loudly.

"Fine." The guys breathe a sigh of relief. "But: when he is ready, I want to see him first." She warns and looks at them with narrowed eyes. They exchange glances with each other again. "Guys?"

They all sighs. "Okay." They quietly tell her. She smiles smugly.

- - - _Meanwhile, back at the warehouse…_

Lucy has arrived back at the warehouse. She ducks under the yellow tape and shows her badge as soon as a CSI tries to stop her.

She stares at all the CSI's taking pictures and investigating every inch of the place. They have already taken out a lot of evidence, so she'll contact them later. But right now, she wants to take a look herself.

She walks through the once bolted room, covering her nose to get rid of the smell. A lot of different smells hit her, among them the smell of blood, which is strong and stands out from all the others.

It's not strange, since so much abuse took place here. But one thing is strange; the smell is strong, but she can't see any blood on the floors. How could that be possible? Unless…

She walks through the rooms and no longer covers her nose. She wants to know where the smell is coming from, she needs to know. She keeps walking, until the nearly gags from the strong smell coming from… a bookshelf?

She looks around and sees all the CSI's are busy with other things. She shrugs and pulls a small flashlight from her back pocket. Always comes in handy. She shines it on the bookshelf. It's covered in books, but layers of dust linger on them. Dust lays on the entire shelf, except on the sides.

She puts the flashlight in her mouth and goes to place her hands on the shelf. Then, she remembers something vital. She didn't put on any gloves. She groans and rolls her eyes.

She walks back and sighs. "Uh, excuse me?" She calls out to a CSI close to her. He looks up. "Could you help me for a minute? I think there's something behind this bookcase." He looks confused. "I think it might be a hidden room or something. Could you just help me move it? Oh and do you have some spare gloves?"

The CSI looks somewhat annoyed, but the glare in her eyes stops him from questioning her. He walks up, tosses her an extra pair of gloves and they get ready to push the bookcase aside. It doesn't take a lot of their strength, but it confirms she was right.

Lucy shares a look with the CSI, who looks surprised, impressed and excited? They stare at the unknown door in front of them.

She looks at the CSI again and motions to the door. "Would you like to do the honors?" He nods with a childlike grin and moves over to the door, while she chuckles and watches.

He gets on his knees and pulls a pin from his belt, fiddling with the lock right away. A short time until a quiet CLICK is heard. He looks back at Lucy, who smiles at him. He stands and opens the door carefully.

Then he stands back and motions his hand for her to go in.

"ladies first." He says with a young soft voice.

"Well, thank you." Lucy says with a chuckle and heads inside the dark room. He CSI follows her and feels around for a light switch. When he finds it, he flips the switch, lighting up the room. Both of their smiles fade as they stare at the room.

Then, the CSI suddenly covers his mouth and he rushes out of the room. Lucy ignores him and covers her nose and mouth again, trying to keep out the smell of blood and urine covering the room.

It's a small square room, with one single light-bulb hanging from the ceiling. It lights up enough of the room to prove that all tortures took place here.

There is a chair in the middle of the room, with chains lying discarded on the ground. Blood covers the chair and the chains, the same goes for the floor surrounding the chair. On the walls hang several torture mechanisms, including a belt, a whip, a baseball bat and a night stick. All are covered in blood stains, old and new.

Lucy walks through the room slowly when she suddenly notices another door in the corner. With raised eyebrows she walks towards it. She puts her hand on the door knob, gently wggling it, surprised to find the door opening right away. She walks through the door and finds another room. It's similar to the first room, but instead of a chair, this one holds a bed.

"Oh god…" She exclaims when she realizes what happened in here. Several stains cover the bed, including blood. She doesn't need to test anything to figure out what the other stains are.

Chains are hooked to the bed, obviously meant to chain the victim to the bed while he was being tortured. "Oh no…" She closes her eyes when she realizes. This was where Carlos was raped. They sedated him first and then chained him to the bed, before they started. He woke up here every time, before they.. just like he woke up in restraints in the hospital… no wonder he tried to get away immediately.

If only she had known, she would have fought harder to keep him from being restrained.

"Damn it!" She shouts in anger as she kicks the side of the bed. She looks up in the air to keep her tears from falling as she sniffs. Then, she notices something. Is that, a blinking red light in the far left corner?

"Oh my god.. they recorded everything…" She quietly says in realization.

A while later Lucy finds herself outside again. She has left the actual CSI's to investigate the rooms, while she grabs her phone and dials a number.

"Lucy, where have you been? Did you really head back to that warehouse?"

"Yes, Nathan, I did. And it's a good thing I did, becaue you won't believe what I found."

A sigh is heard on the other end. "What?"

"I found the torture rooms."

"The what?"

"The torture rooms. These kids weren't tortured in the room we found them in. They set up special rooms. One with a chair and torture devices and the other with a bed. Both had chains attached and Nathan, these sick bastards recorded everything."

"What do you mean?"

"There was a camera in the room with the bed and the CSI's found another one in the other room. They rechecked the entire warehouse and finally found a control room. It had dozens of monitors. There are cameras set up everywhere. They watched everything. There must have been thousands of tapes, Nathan. Do you know what this means?"

"That these guys are more sick than we thought?"

"Yeah, that too. But it also means, we have evidence. We have evidence of everything that happened to these kids. Everything!" She shouts with a smile.

"Uh, Lucy. You know what else this means, right?"

"What?" She stops smiling, curious as to what he means.

"To be able to prove all of it, we'll have to go through those tapes. We'll have to watch every single one of them and everything that happened to these kids." Her smiles disappears completely when she realizes he's right.

"Lucy? Are you still there?"

"yeah, I'm here." She almost whispers. "I guess I forgot about that."

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I know you've started to care about these kids. But it is necessary if we really want to help them."

"I know. Shit!"

"Look, I'll give the CSI's a call and have them send the tapes over to us and we can go through them together. But if you can't handle it, I can always.." He starts, but Lucy interrupts him.

"No, no! I can do it. I have to. Like you said, we have to to help them."

"Right. So, I'll call you when we have the tapes alright? Now, why don't you go home and get some sleep and a shower. You'll need it."

"Yeah, okay." She reluctantly tells him and they hang up. Oh, she'll go home to shower alright. But sleeping? How can she, having just found out about all of this?

She sighs deeply. Now she'll have to see all the horror these kids went through. It's her job, but it doesn't make it easier. Especially not now that she knows their names…

_**Sorry for the long wait! I'm pretty busy lately, but I'm trying to update my stories as much as I can.**_

_**Anyway, hope you like this new chapter, some more information has been revealed **_

_**Thank you so much for all the support everyone! Loving all the reviews and sorry for not sending any replies to them, like I said, I am pretty busy, so I'm kind of behind on my replies and reviews. Will work on it!**_

_**Until next time & love, Baxxie**_


	10. Chapter 10 Embrace me

Chapter 10 Embrace me…

The next day, the doctor suddenly has decided Carlos is allowed visitors. She does have a small list of people who are allowed to enter his room and has made sure not too many people go in at once. She wants to make sure the boy is not agitated in any way.

The minute the guys hear the good news, they spring up from their chairs, pushing each other to the floor to get to his room first. But they are quickly stopped when someone clears heir throat behind them.

They look back and smile sheepishly. Katie stands tapping her foot impatiently with a scowl on her face and her arms crossed.

"You said I could go first." She reminds them.

"Katie…" Kendal begins.

"You promised, guys. I want to see him, too." Her look softens and she looks down at the floor. Kendall sighs and walks closer to her. He puts a hand under her chin and pulls it up.

"I'm sorry, Katie. We were just so excited and he's just started recognizing us.." He stops midsentence when Katie pulls her head up and gives him the biggest puppy dog eyes he has ever seen with quivering lip included.

"Oh my god… Carlos really taught her well." James whispers to Logan, who nods in agreement. They both let their minds wander to their young friend, who might never show that same look himself again.

Katie keeps up the look and Kendall has to cover his eyes.

"Alright, alright.. Just stop looking at me like that." Kendall uncovers his eyes to see Katie smiling triumphantly. He smirks and shakes his head. "You were planning that all along, weren't you?"

Katie just shrugs. Kendall pulls her into a hug, surprising Katie who pushes him away quickly.

"You're acting weird. I'm going to see Carlos." She trudges past the guys, who again look hesitant.

"Wait!" Kendall calls out. Katie sighs and turns around with her arms crossed in annoyance.

"What?"

"Maybe we should come with you. I mean, we don't know how he'll react to you." Kendall nervously offers.

Katie sighs again and looks as the three guys plead with their eyes.

"Ok, fine. But can we go now?" The guys are pleased and quickly follow her. She shakes her head at them and takes one look back at her mom, who watches with concerned, but slightly amused eyes.

When they get to Carlos' room, it's clear to notice the guys can't wait with the way they're fidgeting. James already moves forward, when Logan stops him. He looks confused.

"Katie gets to go first, remember?" James' face falls a little, but he gives Katie a small smile.

Katie seems nervous and she shares a look with Kendall. He quickly nods and shares a knowing look with the other guys.

"Can you just wait out here for a minute? I'll go with her." They just nod and stand back as Kendall puts his arm around his teenage sister and together they step over the threshold.

Katie tries not to gasp when she sees Carlos. Her once so fun-loving (and kind of her favorite) brother looks like nothing she has ever seen before. He looks thin and fragile, like he could break any second now. His eyes show so much sadness. He shouldn't look like that. He should be running around, annoying everyone with all his energy. Pranking Bitters together with her, not laying here, staring off into space.

It makes her angry and upset. How could anyone hurt Carlos like that?

She must be showing her emotions, because Kendall nudges her slightly and concern is etched on his face when she looks at him. She just shakes her head.

"I'm fine." Kendall looks unsure, but he looks away anyway and aims his eyes back to Carlos.

"Carlos?" She softly calls out as she hesitantly heads for his bed. He doesn't look up and doesn't seem to acknowledge her or Kendall. She walks closer, slowly, and when she stands next to him, she carefully holds out her hand and goes to put it on his arm.

Just before she touches him, he turns towards her. In a somewhat flinch, she pulls back her hand and she looks into his sad brown eyes as they look into her own brown orbs. She tries to read into his look, but so many emotions read back at her and they are gone as fast as they came.

"Hi." She softly tells him as she keeps looking into his eyes. His eyes seem to search hers, trying to find out who she is. "It's me, Carlos; Katie." She tells him with a small smile.

He continues to look at her when his eyes seem to widen in recognition. She smiles wider when she sees the recognition. But she also notices he doesn't know how to react. So, she does the first thing that comes to mind and envelops him into a big hug.

Kendall's eyes widen. "Katie, don't…" He starts, as he watches Carlos' reaction to it. At first, his eyes widen in shock. He stiffens at once, not knowing how to react.

But then, slowly, Kendall can see how he seems to let go. His arms move upwards and Kendall's heart leaps into his throat. He gets ready to rush forward, when the arms slowly move towards Katie and hug her back.

Even Katie is in shock when she feels his arms wrap around her carefully and then tighter as he hugs her back. She can't help but let tears fall as she lets go of all the worry she felt when he was missing. She'll never admit it out loud, but she really does love all the guys and she missed him so much.

She sobs even more when he slowly begins to rub her back in a soothing way. This was really Carlos. This is what he always did. All the guys held their own place in her heart. But if she was really upset, she wouldn't go to Kendall. He might be her actual brother, but no one could make you feel loved more like Carlos.

Whenever anyone was upset, he would see it immediately and make them talk. Then, he would engulf them in a huge teddy bear hug and let them cry out on his shoulder. When they were done, he would make them smile or even laugh right away.

How she wishes that is what he will do this time, but she knows he won't. Which is why she doesn't want to let go this time. She just clings to him and wants to hang on forever.

"Katie?" Kendall softly calls out from right next to her. She doesn't look up. "Katie, you need to let go now. We want to see him too."

"No.." She sniffles and buries her head further into his shoulder.

"Come on, Katie. You can't hold him forever. He'll need to sleep sometime." She looks up at him reluctantly with puffy eyes and tearstained cheeks and pouts. He smiles at her. "Come on, baby sister."

She reluctantly lets go of Carlos and wipes her eyes, before getting up from his bed. She looks at him once more, but he is already looking down at his sheets. She lets her head fall and Kendall puts his arm around her shoulders once more.

"Come on, lets go back to mom." He softly tells her, kissing her on the head. They turn around and head for the door. In a second she turns back around and runs over to Carlos. She gives him one more tight hug, before letting go quickly and looking him in the eyes.

"I missed you, Carlos. I'm so glad you're okay." She softly tells him and he just stares at her. She searches and finds a certain look in his deep brown eyes. He missed her, too. She smiles and then rushes back towards Kendall, who is watching them from the doorway with awe.

They walk out into the hallway n each other's arms. "You okay?" He asks her as they are finally out the door.

"Yeah. I'm fine, now that I've seen him." Kendall nods. Just then, Logan and James walk up to them. Worry comes across their features immediately once they see Katie's tearstained cheeks.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?" They ask simultaneously. Katie chuckles and looks at Kendall, who smiles back at her.

"I'm fine."

"She's more than fine. She went up to hug him." Their eyes widen when they listen to Kendall. "And get this; he hugged her back." Their eyes widen further and they look at Katie.

"Oh my god.." Logan starts.

"Yeah and then she started to cry and he rubbed her back." Kendall says in awe. His friends look equally stunned and excited to hear this.

"aww.." James starts, but he grunts when Katie punches him in the gut.

"I missed him, alright?" She puts on an annoyed face, but all three of her brothers can see the small smile shining through.

"Group hug!" Kendall says with a smile. Katie groans, but soon finds herself in the middle of a group hug with her three other brothers. She feels annoyed, but decides to let it go, keeping up the hope that soon, there won't be a person missing from their embrace.

So many different feelings are mashed up into his head. He just doesn't know what to do or how to act. Life seemed to be so much easier in that little place in his head. He doesn't have to deal with pity or people crying and he doesn't have to think of everything that… happened.

These people… He knows them. He remembers them from somewhere a long time ago. Back when life was easy. When he wasn't so messed up. When he was happy. That time seems so long ago. He pushed it all away, far away into the back of his mind.

He used to hope. Hope that they would find him, rescue him. It's what kept him going. But they never did. He was about to give up when they came to take him out. But he didn't know those people.

And when others came to see him, he didn't recognize them at first. They were a threat. They all were. Trust no one. He learned that a while ago. But now, everything seemed so different.

His head is starting to hurt. What is he supposed to do? He wants to get away from here, he has since the beginning. But these people, his friends or family, he should say. They would be so upset. The old him wouldn't do that, would he? Why is it so hard to remember? He wants to be himself again… but who was that? So many things to dig up from his mind…

He closes his eyes and decides to shut his mind down again. Tomorrow is another day. He has time, for now. He is safe, for now….

And with that, his friends find Carlos staring off into space again. They hoped for a similar reaction as to what Katie got. But unfortunately, they receive none. No reaction whatsoever, But they don't give up. They stay by his side until the nurse tells them they have to leave.

They'll never give up. He's their brother. They'll help him find himself again. No matter what it takes…

**Okay, I really liked that Katie/Carlos fluff :P I hope you liked it too and the tiny bit inside of Carlos' thought at the end as well.**

**Thank you for all the great reviews and alerts and favorites, I'm really grateful **

**I'll try to update again soon, but I'm a little distracted for some reason lately. Anyway, anyone else looking forward to the new BTR episode Big Time Single? Previews are already hilarious (and just between us, loving Carlos' butt :P It sticks out when he's lying down, I couldn't help but notice ;))**

**On to my other stories now, so until next time!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	11. Chapter 11 Home, sweet home

Chapter 11 Home, sweet home…

The guys are excited. Today is the day Carlos is released from the hospital. They quickly hurry over to his room, but are soon stopped by the doctor who looks serious.

"Boys, I would like a word with you." She motions for them to sit down in the waiting room. They exchange looks and sit down in the chairs, while waiting for her to start talking.

"Now as you know, today Carlos is released to go home. But we have a problem."

"What is it?" Kendall immediately asks and the boys are on the edge of their seats.

"I'm afraid we still haven't been able to get a hold of his family." The guys look concerned and confused.

"How is that possible? I mean, I'm sure they didn't move that far away." Logan suggests.

"Well, aparantely they have or we would have found them by now. The police is still trying to locate them, but this does mean Carlos will have to go to a group home for now." She tells them.

"Wait, what?" James exclaims.

"What are you talking about? Carlos is 18 now, he doesn't need to go to a group home." Logan tells her.

"Yeah, he can come home with us." Kendall adds and the guys exchange smiles.

"Boys, I'm afraid that's just not an option." Their faces fall at this.

"But, why not? I mean, we're adults, we have jobs. Plus, he's our best friend. We've always done everything together. We can do this together, too." Kendall says, looking confident. The other guys nod in agreement.

The doctor sighs. "Look, I know how much you care about him, I can see it in your eyes. And I can even tell that he recognizes you and that is great. But this situation isn't easily fixable. He is not the same person you know as your best friend. Carlos has been through a lot, things we might never even know. And he is going to need a lot of help." She explains to them.

"We know that. But we're ready for it. Carlos is our best friend and we'll do anything to help him get through this." Logan tells her and the other guys agree once again.

"Boys, I'm very sorry. But I really don't think you know how serious this is. Carlos may never go back to being the person you knew him as. He might stay the way he is now forever."

"Then we will learn to deal with that." Kendall tells her. The doctor stands up.

"I really don't think you understand. Your friend has gone through things he might never recover from. You may be able to handle it for a few days. But for the rest of your lives? There may come the time where you will want lives of your own, have a family. How will that work?" he guys exchange looks.

"But he's our friend. We've never turned our backs on each other." Logan explains.

"We were the only ones who never gave up hope in finding him. His family even held a funeral. We got jobs and our own apartment and even made him his own room. We knew he was still out there and even though he might not be the Carlos we remember, he's still our friend and he is still in there." James adds.

"Boys, please listen.." the doctor starts again.

"No, you listen!" Kendall tells her as he stands up as well. "We have never given up on each other. We have been through a lot together and no, this doesn't compare, but it doesn't mean we should just give up. He is our friend, no, he's our brother. And his blood relatives may have given up on him, but we're still here and we can take care of him!"

"yeah!" Logan and James reply in unison.

"No, you can't!" Mrs. Knight suddenly exclaims from right next to them.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Kendall asks her in disbelief.

"I'm sorry guys, but you're only 18 years old. You're not responsible enough to handle this. This isn't a pet you're taking in. This might be the hardest thing you'll ever have to do and I'm sorry, but I don't think you're up for it."

"Mom, there's three of us. And we know this is going to be hard, but we're ready for anything."

"Are you ready for screaming night terrors every night? Are you ready for screaming and crying and him trying to fight you every step of the way? Are you ready for the times he doesn't recognize you and might try to kill you again? This process could take months, years. He might never recover. Are you really ready to give up your lives to save his?" The boys look down a little.

"I am." James quietly says. The other guys look at him with little surprise. But then they smile.

"I am too." Kendall agrees.

"Me too. Let's do it." Logan tells them.

"Boys, no." Mrs. Knight says again.

"But Mrs. Knight.." Logan starts.

"I said no. You can't do this by yourself. He needs an actual adult there to take care of him. He needs professional help." She tells them.

"Why can't you move in with them?" Katie's voice makes everyone jump. She looks at her mom.

"Katie, where did you come from?" Katie just raises her eyebrows. "You know I can't do that." Mrs. Knight tells her.

"Why not?"

"Because first of all, their apartment isn't big enough to hold five people. Plus, I have my own life and you to take care of."

"Mom, he needs family. And right now, we're all he has. He needs you." Katie tells her and starts to work up her biggest pout yet. Mrs. Knight tries to look away.

"Katie, stop it!" She yells and Katie lets out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry, but this just can't happen."

"So you're just going to let them lock him away in some group home?" Kendall starts as she starts to walk away.

"You're really going to give up on him?" James agrees.

Mrs. Knight and turns back to the boys. It breaks her heart to see the pain in their eyes. "Look, I would love to help him, he's like a son to me. But we can't do this. We have our own lives and he needs professional help, which we can't give him."

"Mom, you promised the other moms when we left for LA that you would take of the other guys like they were your own sons. What if it was me in there? Would you want the other moms to lock me away?" Kendall asks her in all honesty.

"Kendall.."

"Would you?" he asks again.

"I.. There is nothing I would rather do.. Don't you think it hurts me to see him like this? It breaks my heart to think of what happened to him. But he needs more than just his family being there…"

"And we can provide that for him. We could live in one apartment again, like at the Palm Woods." James suggests.

"And we could get him a really good counselor, who can help him and us get through this." Logan adds.

"Please mom, you know the other moms would do it for the rest of us. Don't you care about him?" Kendall asks again.

"Kendall, how dare you suggest I don't. Of course I care, I love him like he's my own son… I…" She sighs and looks up. She gasps as they have all put on puppy dog faces now. "Guys, don't." She shakes her head. "God, that reminds me so much of Carlos.. I.. alright.." She quietly adds.

They all put on hopeful smiles. "You mean it?" Kendall asks.

"Really?" James asks.

"Yes." She says with a nod. They all start to cheer loudly and hug each other, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Okay, okay!" She yells and they all stop. "But right now the apartment you boys have isn't big enough. How are we going to get a big enough apartment on our salaries and in such a short amount of time?" The boys exchange looks.

The next day they hold boxes and stand in front of their brand new apartment by the sea. It has an amazing sea view and is quiet, secluded from the area. Perfect for giving them all the time and space they need to help Carlos.

"Thanks again, Gustavo." Kendall says as he leans an arm on Gustavo's shoulder, who brushes him off immediately.

"Yeah, well. It's the least I could do after.. you know. The whole band thing. Besides, Griffin's the one who paid for it. It is his beach house after all."

"Was., Gustavo. Was his beach house. But it doesn't matter that he paid for it, you convinced him to give it to us." Logan tells him and pats him on the back.

"Yeah, all because you missed us." Kendall says and pinches his cheek. Gustavo swats his hand.

"Just don't make me regret it." He grumbles and Kelly suddenly puts a hand on his arm.

"Don't worry, he won't." She tells the boys with a smile as they load in a few more boxes.

"Look who's here, guys." James suddenly exclaims from behind them. They turn around and Kelly gasps while Gustavo just feels uncomfortable.

Right there is Mrs. Knight with Katie and James and behind them a very frightened looking Carlos. His skin is still darkened because of fading bruises an he looks very uncertain.

His eyes keep darting around and his hands play with the hoodie they gave him to wear. It's weird to see him wear it. He's lost so much weight that it looks two sizes two big and is hng around him like a potato sack. The same goes for the jeans, which needed a belt tied around so it wouldn't fall of his hips.

Mrs. Knight already told them it would be best to go shopping for new clothes as soon as possible. But finding out what his right size was now, would become difficult. They can't just measure him, because he doesn't want to be touched. But if they buy the wrong thing, they'll have to go back. But having him come with them would be the worst idea yet. Just imagining him in the mall full of people he didn't know. No, that was not going to happen.

Everyone just stands around in silence, not quite knowing what to say, until Kelly makes a move.

"Welcome back, Carlos.. It's been so weird not having you around.." She moves closer, but makes sure to keep her distance, having been informed by the other guys. She bumps Gustavo, who is still staring at Carlos.

"Huh? Oh uh, yeah, we uh missed you dog." She elbows him again. "I mean Carlos."

Carlos doesn't know how to respond and still fidgets with the hoodie, trying to escape everyone's gazes.

"Come on, Carlos, I'll show you around." Katie suddenly exclaims in an excited voice. "I know you've been here before, but they're letting us change everything. We get to pick out new furniture and everything. I'll show you your room, you've gotta see it. It's not finished yet, but it's going to be totally awesome!" She tells him and gently grabs his hand, pulling him inside.

He looks hesitant and looks at all the others. They give him an approving nod and he slowly lets Katie pull him inside the beach house.

They all smile until Katie and Carlos have disappeared into the house and then let out big sighs.

"My god, he looks so.. so unlike Carlos.. I mean, I knew he would from what you described, but I wasn't expecting this.." Kelly says as her eyes start to tear up. Even Gustavo looks very concerned.

"Is he going to be okay?" He quietly asks. The others look up with some surprise at the concern in his voice.

"we uh.. We don't know. We're going to do the best we can. But he's the only one who can pull through it. We can only be there for him." Kendall explains. His mother is in awe at the maturity in his voice.

"Well, uh. If you need anything else, just uh, just let us know." Gustavo tells them. "Just wanted to let you know, I didn't really need to convince Griffin a lot. When he heard about what happened, he was just glad he could help out in some way."

They smile at him in awe. "So if you do anything else, just say the word. And if you're ever ready to give Big Time Rush another go, the studio will also be open for you."

"Thanks Gustavo.. That, that means a lot." Logan says in a quiet voice. They all nod.

"Yeah, well. Enough with the mushy talk. Let's go, Kelly, we've got work to do." Kelly just hugs each of them one last time, still sniffling before following Gustavo to their limo.

"Well guys, here we go." Kendall says as he puts his arms around James and Logan's shoulders.

"Let's go." James says and Logan nods. They all take one last breath before heading inside.

"I hope you boys know what you're in for…" Mrs. Knight says one more time before following her boys.

**A/N Just want to say upfront, I didn't want Mrs. Knight to come off like she didn't care or was mean. Someone had to be realistic here, because I am the writer and I know this won't be easy for any of them.**

**Now that we have that out of the way Thank you for your support so far. I know this isn't an easy story to read, it isn't easy to write either. I've never known anyone to go through this, so I'm not sure if all the emotions are correct or if their behavior is correct. I'm going on gut instinct here. So if there is anything you guys think isn't right or if I missed something, please let me know **

**Anyway, hope you still like reading this (even though like might not be the right word), so let me know what you think.**

**I'll try to update sooner next time. So until next time and Love, Baxxie**


	12. Chapter 12 Rooms divided

Chapter 12 Rooms Divided…

The moment the moving van drives off, the new Big Time Rush home goes very quiet. Mrs. Knight walks into the kitchen as the three friends sit on the barstools in front of her. They watch as Katie drags Carlos inside happily.

"I'm going to go grab something from my room. I'll be right back." She tells him and she rushes off towards the stairs. Carlos hesitantly looks after her and then moves his gaze towards the others in the kitchen.

They give him big smiles and his eyes dart back and forth as he tries to avoid their stares.

"Come on boys, why don't you help me make dinner?" Mrs. Knight suggests, effectively making the boys turn towards her and away from Carlos. Carlos just stands in the same spot, looking afraid to move one muscle.

"Carlos, sweetie?" Mrs. Knight calls out. He looks up with scared eyes and sees her looking at him. "Do you want to help me stir the rice?" She asks with a warm smile.

The guys watch him as he looks hesitant. Mrs. Knight decides to walk closer to him.

"It's okay, honey. Remember how you used to help me cook before? You loved to make chicken curry with rice." She gives him a loving look as she slowly walks closer to him.

The guys watch intently. The hospital's counselor told them that they had to take things slow. They didn't know how he would react to anything, so they couldn't make sudden moves. They needed to be patient.

They thought Mrs. Knight walking up to him might be a bold move. But it was Mrs. Knight. She was a second mother to him. It wouldn't take long for him to run into her arms and let her comfort him.

They wait in the kitchen for this moment to come. But they exchange worried glances when they notice Carlos slowly moving away. He doesn't want to run into her arms. He looks scared, terrified even.

"It's okay. It's me, mama Knight. I'm here for you, sweetie." She warmly tells him. But the guys can see from a distance that his breathing is speeding up and he slowly moves backwards.

Mrs. Knight doesn't seem to notice as she keeps walking. She does notice when he suddenly backs up into a wall. His eyes are wide as saucers and even though she is still very far away, he slides to the floor and crawls into a fetal position, shielding himself with his arms. It takes everything for her not to burst into tears as she watches this. He's scared of her. The boy she had watched grow up and who became a son to her, was scared of her.

Her hand flies to her mouth as she tries to keep a sob from escaping. Two arms suddenly engulf her into a hug and she tries to hold in her tears as her son holds her.

"It's okay, mom." Kendall tells her as the three boys also watch their friend rocking back and forth in his fetal position on the floor. He leads his mother back to the kitchen.

"What happened?" Katie suddenly asks from the bottom of the stairs. She stares wide-eyed at Carlos on the floor and her mother in near tears in her brother's arms.

"Your mom tried to walk up to him. She just tried to coax him into helping her cook. He just… he had a bad reaction.." Logan explains, still keeping his eyes on the Latino boy on the ground.

Katie runs over to Carlos, kneeling down to his level.

"Katie, I don't think.." Kendall starts, but he watches in amazement when Katie whispers to his friend and he actually looks up at her. She keeps whispering to him and even takes his hand. Instead of crawling away, he lets her hold him and actually sits up. He tries to avoid looking at the others at all cost and lets Katie help him to his feet.

"What the.. How did she do that?" James asks in amazement and he turns a little angry. Kendall just stares dumbfounded.

"I don't know." Is all he can reply as he shakes his head.

"Come on, Carlos. I'll show you your room." Katie tells him and she carefully drags him along. As she does this, she shoots the others a hurt and apologetic look. They watch as the two disappear up the stairs.

"Come on, Kendall. Let's just finish making dinner." Logan suggests as he puts a hand on his friends shoulder. Kendall turns around and goes back to cutting up vegetables.

Mrs. Knight stirs the rice, no longer saying a word. Her smile is completely gone as she still recovers from shock. Why did he become scared of her? She never hurt him. She treated him like her own son. Why would he be afraid?

These thoughts keep going through her mind as they finish making dinner in silence.

"So, this is my room."Katie announces as she carefully beckons Carlos to come in. He hesitates on the doorstep. "Come on, it's okay." She gently pulls his hand and he reluctantly comes in.

He awkwardly stands near the door as she shows him everything in her room. "Right now, most of my stuff is still in boxes. But I'm going to set up my own agency in here. See, here's my desk and phone. I'll be having more phone lines installed soon, but I have to wait for mom to leave the house. She doesn't really like my money gaining plans." She tells him in all honestly like it's no big deal.

He just stares around, fidgeting with the strings on his hoodie again.

"I was thinking of coloring my walls purple, you know, your favorite. But then I though, why not green? Green is the color of money and I like to be reminded of how rich I'm going to be. So I'm having mom buy me that. Don't you think it'll look awesome?" She asks him. But she sighs when he doesn't respond. He just gazes at th floor suddenly.

"Hm, I guess I'm boring you with this, huh? Come on, let's go see your room." She runs out the room, leaving Carlos to stand there awkwardly. She sighs and comes back in, grabbing his hand. "It's okay." She softly tells him and pulls him along.

They walk down the hall and finally stop in front of a black door. Katie smiles and opens it fully.

"Well, here we are. So what do you think?" She asks with excited eyes and a smile to match. But her smile falters when she finds his face shows no excitement at all. In fact, he just looks plain scared. Again.

She sighs, but puts on another smile. "Come on, let's go inside. You should see what the guys did. They decorated it. Well, I helped a little." She smiles sheepishly and walks inside. He stills stands in front of the threshold. She looks at him and nods with a smile. "It's okay. This is your room. You can come in."

He gulps and still looks hesitant, but then slowly steps into the room. Katie beams at the sudden movement.

"Don't worry about the boxes, we can unpack them later. But here's your bed." She says excitedly, stepping up onto it and jumping up and down. "We made sure to get one with an extra bounce. It's so much fun, you should try it." She laughs, but it stops and she stops jumping when he just stares at the floor. She gets off the bed. "Well, anyway. You can jump on that if you want to. Anyway, here's your closet. It's not big, but you never had that many clothes to begin with. The biggest space will be needed for all your toys."

She grins suddenly as she moves towards a second door inside the room. Carlos frowns a little when she opens it. Behind the door is a walk in closet. Except it is not filled with clothes. It is actually an entertainment room, filled with pinball machines and toys. All the toys and comic books Carlos kept throughout his years of growing up. One corner is dedicated to his love for hockey.

Katie grins widely and picks up a hockey stick. "Look, this one is brand new. It's a gift from mom and me, since your broke your old one." She says and looks at him.

Her smile is wiped off completely when she suddenly sees him trembling. His eyes re filled with fear and he backs away from her.

"Carlos, what's wrong?" She takes a step closer and he nearly falls backwards as he tries to get away too quickly. "carlos, what is it? What did I do?" She suddenly notices his eyes are not focused on her, but rather on what she's holding. Once she realizes this she drops the hockey stick in a second, but it is already too late. Carlos has hurried off into a far away corner of the room, completely curling up into a ball.

"Carlos, I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, but I'm not going to hurt you with the hockey stick. It's a gift for you." She steps towards him, but he immediately pulls his knees in tighter, keeping his eyes on the stick on the floor.

"I don't.. I'll put it away, all right? I'm putting it away right now." She tells him and keeps her eyes on him as she grabs the hockey stick and throws it into the hallway. "See? It's gone. Carlos?" He doesn't look at her. He has buried his face into his arms, terrified and sobbing.

"Katie, Carlos, dinner's ready!" Kendall's voice comes from the stairs. Katie just watches with pain in her eyes as her once fun loving brother has now pulled away from her as well. "Katie?" Kendall calls out from the hallway now.

"Katie, what's.." He stops midsentence when he sees his younger sister standing in Carlos' room in near tears.

"I didn't mean to.. I just wanted to show him his new hockey stick and he ran into that corner.. I didn't know he would be scared of it…" She rambles and Kendall quickly pulls her into a hug.

"It's okay baby sister.." He soothes her as she sobs into his shirt.

"No, it's not! I was the only one he was responding to and I pushed him away…" She cries out as she pulls out of her brother's grasp.

"Katie, it's not your fault.."

"Yes it is.. I was helping him and now he doesn't have anyone…" She cries and he pulls her into his arms again.

"He does, Katie. He has all of us. It's just going to take time to have him trust us. We don't know what he's been through. We just need to be here for him." Katie sniffles and nods. "Come on, let's go eat. Dinner's ready."

Katie sighs. "I'll be down in a minute." She tells him and he nods. He takes one more look at Carlos, before sighing in pain and heading downstairs.

Katie wipes her eyes and walks back over to Carlos. She carefully sits on her knees in front of him and gently starts to guide her hand towards his arm.

"Carlos?" The moment she touches him, he flinches like he's been burned. She pulls her hand away. "No, it's me, Katie. Carlos, please… I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you. Carlos?" But now he even flinches before she can touch him.

"Katie?" Logan's pained voice sounds from behind her. She turns around and eyes him from the floor. "You coming down for dinner?"

"I pushed him away, Logan.. I can't just go have dinner now."

"Katie, you can't help him right now. Just give him some space. He'll come around." He holds out his arm to her.

"But I can't just leave him up here…" She says and watches her brother as he trembles in front of her.

"I know this is hard, but he just needs to be alone for a minute. He's not going to be okay as long as you stay here. Just give him time." He smiles softly at her and she reluctantly nods and gets off the floor. She walks over to her and he puts his arm around her shoulders. She looks back over her shoulder once more at the lone and shaking figure on the floor. "It's okay, Katie. We have to do this, no matter how much it hurts." Logan tells her, but she can see as much pain in his eyes as she feels.

Together they walk down the stairs and towards the dinner table. Normally this would be a busy time. But now, everyone eats in silence if they even eat at all. They are all lost in thought, thinking of the now so vulnerable shell that is left of their once so energetic friend, brother and son…

**A/N Sorry, not a lot happened in this chapter. But I hope you liked it. This is going to be a log process and Carlos might never recover. But keep reading to find out if he does. **

**Will he start talking again? Will he learn to trust everyone? Keep reading and reviewing to find out **

**Thanks for all your support already and until next time!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	13. Chapter 13 Blocking your way

Chapter 13

The family clean up dinner, having to throw away a lot of food, since no one was really hungry. Especially one plate is completely full as the intended person never came down. Mrs. Knight sighs when she looks at it.

"We should bring it to him." Kendall suggests. Everyone just stares, no one sure who should be the one to do it. He is so scared of everyone now.

"I'll do it." James replies.

"James, are you sure?" Logan asks carefully. They still haven't forgotten the first moment James tried to reach out to Carlos. Not that it's something easy to forget.

"Yeah, I have to. I need to show him he can trust me." He says, but the others can hear some doubt in his voice.

"Okay, but be careful." Logan tells him and pats him on the back. James just nods. He grabs the plate and takes a deep breath before climbing up the stairs.

He walks down the hall and stops for moment to sigh deeply and knocking on the door.

"Carlos?" He softly calls out, waiting for a response. "I've got some dinner for you. Carlos?" He knocks again, not even realizing that his friend will never respond. "It's corndogs, you're favorite." He says with a smile, then finally realizing why his friend won't respond. He grabs the door handle and slowly opens the door.

He carefully pokes his head inside. "Carlos?" He softly calls out again and looks through the room as he steps further in. He walks up to his desk and puts down the plate as he looks around. He frowns when he doesn't see Carlos anywhere.

"Carlos?" He calls out louder now as he walks out the door again and into the hallway. He walks around, panicking a little as he doesn't see his friend anywhere. Just when he's about to yell down the stairs, he can hear rustling nearby.

He steps back a little and is confused to hear sounds coming from his own room. He walks towards the doorway and his eyes widen when he sees Carlos sitting on his bed, frowning at a small plastic bag in his hand.

"What are you doing in here?" He calls out harshly and Carlos whips his head up with panicked eyes. "How did you find that? Give it to me!" He hurries over to the bed with angry eyes, but Carlos quickly gets up and runs past him.

"Give it back, Carlos, that's not yours!" He quickly hurries after the boy in a panic. Carlos runs into a nearby bathroom and locks the door. James runs up to it and jiggles the handle, before starting to pound on the door. "Open this door, Carlos. Carlos!" he yells as he starts to pound his body into the door to try and get it ti open up.

With allthe yelling going on suddenly, the others have rushed upstairs.

"James, what are you doing?" Kendall asks him as they look at him in confusion.

"Carlos locked himself in the bathroom. He was in my room, Kendall. He took something that wasn't his.." He says while he still tries to pound the door down.

"James, get yourself together, man. You're probably scaring the crap out of him." Kendall says again as he tries to pull James away from the door. James just shrugs him off.

"I don't care, he needs to learn not to touch other people's stuff!"

"Dude, he's not a child we're raising. What did he take anyway?" Logan asks him.

"It… It doesn't matter. I just need it back." James tells his friends as he pounds on the door again. "Open up the freaking door, Carlos!" He yells and then in one movement finally swings the door open.

Inside the bathroom stands Carlos. His eyes go wide as saucers as he sees James. But James is looking at what he's got in his hands. The boy is standing in front of the sink, quickly holding the plastic bag upside down and trying to shake the contents out and into the sink.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" James yells and barges in and straight for Carlos. He grabs the bag from his hands roughly, pushing the boy aside. Carlos falls to the ground, resulting in a gasp from the others.

"Dude!" Kendall exclaims and James whips his head around.

"What!" he yells and then finally looks at Carlos. The boy is cowering on the floor, trying to avoid James' gaze.

"What is wrong with you?" Kendall now yells and he comes into the bathroom and stands in front of Carlos in a protective stance.

"He took this from my room. He doesn't have the right to touch my stuff!" James yells.

"We have always touched each other's stuff. What is so different now?" Kendall asks him with an intent gaze.

"I just… This was private… He shouldn't have touched it. And he sure as hell shouldn't have thrown it out. Do you have any idea what you've done?" he yells as he directs his gaze on Carlos again. The boy flinches and the others watch from the doorway in shock, as he seems to hide himself behind Kendall's legs. Kendall himself hasn't noticed.

"Don't yell at him! If this bag was so important to you, you shouldn't have kept it laying around!" He yells at his friend.

"I didn't leave it laying around, I hid it in my suitcase!" James yells back and suddenly the room is filled in silence. Kendall looks at him curiously.

"Why were you hiding something in your suitcase?" He asks, crossing his arms.

"I… Does it matter? What matters here is that he went through my suitcase. He stole it from me!" James yells again and Kendall walks closer to him.

"Why are you getting o worked up over this, James? What is so important about that bag?" He asks in a soft voice.

James gulps. "I..It's not. It's not important. I just…"

"Let me see the bag, James." Kendall tells him, holding out his hand.

"I… No, why should I?" James tells him as he tries to avoid his gaze.

"Give me the bag, James." Kendall tells him a bit louder now, his voice is starting to sound threatening.

"No." James tells him and he steps back.

"James, give me the damn bag!" Kendall tells him and lunges for him, successfully grabbing the bag from his hands. He eyes the small bag curiously, seeing the pills inside. "What kind of pills are these?"

"It doesn't matter." James tells him, now looking at the floor.

"James, what kind of pills are these?" He asks in a louder tone as he opens the bag and takes out a pill. He waves it in James' face. "What is this?"

"It's ecstasy, alright?" James finally admits. They all stare at him in shock. "You don't get it, alright? I just feel so tired sometimes and these help me relax."

"Why would you ever take these? Why didn't you just talk to us about it?" Kendall asks in a softer voice now, etched with concern.

"It's not like you'd understand…" He mumbles.

"Not understand? You think we wouldn't understand? James, we're all going through the same thing here!" He yells again, but his eyes are filled with hurt and confusion now. "How long have you been taking them?"

"Not that long.."

"How long have you been taking them?" Kendall's voice sounds angrier now as he stares at his friend.

"A couple of months." James tells him with a sigh.

"Oh my god.. James.. I don't even… I don't get why you couldn't have just talked to us. You really think we feel all relaxed? You think we're doing fine? God… I just don't…"

"No!" james suddenly yells and he looks behind Kendall. Kendall looks behind him as well and sees in shock how Carlos has somehow managed to grab the bag from his hands and lets it fall into the toilet. James tries to stop him, but he quickly flushes the toilet.

Everyone stares in shock as to what just occurred.

James shakes his head slowly, before suddenly lunging himself at Carlos. Carlos' eyes widen and he jumps behind Kendall, who in turn stands before him, holding out his arms to protect him.

"James…" Kendall starts as he tries to remind him what he's doing. "James, calm down…"

"He threw them away. Those were expensive!"

"You don't need them, James, think about what you're doing…"

"He shouldn't have done that, Kendall. They were mine.." he lunges again and suddenly Kendall freezes up. He finally feels that Carlos has grabbed onto the back of his shirt tightly and is hiding his body close behind his.

His eyes are wide and he locks them with the others, who still stand in the doorway in shock. They too have seen Carlos grabbing hold of Kendall and try not to smile.

"James, just knock it off. Carlos just threw out your pills. Carlos did that, think about it!" Logan suddenly appears from behind him. James look back for a second.

"I know he did that, that's why I want to reach him!" he says as he tries again. Kendall carefully steps back as Carlos' other hand now also grabs him.

"James.." Logan starts again and he carefully puts his hands on his friends', pulling them away from Carlos' reach. "Carlos threw out your pills. He made sure you couldn't take them anymore. Don't you see? He was concerned about you." Logan softly explains.

James looks back at the cowering Carlos for a moment, before looking at Logan again. "But I… I don't understand." He shakes his head. "Why was he even going through my suitcase in the first place?"

"I don't know, but he did. And he tried to help you. He's sending you a message, James." Logan tells him with a smile. James looks confused, but he finally steps back.

"So, you really think he threw them out because he's concerned about me?" He asks, a little bit of hope in his eyes.

"I think so, yeah.." Logan softly tells him.

"Wow, I… Carlos, I…" he walks up to Carlos, but he makes sure to hide himself behind Kendall. James looks guilty. "I'm sorry, buddy… I didn't see what you were doing. I just… I know, I shouldn't have taken the pills in the first place. Sometimes I just… I can't relax, you know and I…" He sighs and Logan squeezes his shoulder.

"We'll talk about this later." He tells his tall friend, who nods with his head held down as he walks out of the bathroom. Katie and Mrs. Knight let them walk aside.

"Uh, guys?" Kendall suddenly squeaks. They look up and try not to laugh as they see Carlos still latched onto him. "Carlos? It's okay.. James is gone now. Carlos?"

It's not that he wants Carlos to let go, he's happy that his friend seems to trust him suddenly. But he can't move right now and his friend is pulling on his shirt so hard, that he is starting to choke him.

The others look on with affection as Carlos slowly lifts his head with scared eyes. He suddenly seems to realize what he's doing and he quickly lets go of Kendall as he if he was burned.

Kendall smiles down at him. "It's okay, buddy. That uh, that was a great thing you did for James there." Carlos starts to breathe faster suddenly and they look on with smiles fading as he seems to panic again. "No, Carlos. It's okay.." Kendall starts in a calm voice. He sends Carlos a reassuring smile.

Carlos seems hesitant, but then his breathing calms down and he remains standing behind Kendall. The moment Kendall tries to hold a hand, he flinches, so Kendall pulls it back again.

"Come on, lets go to your room. James put a plate of food in there for you. You must be hungry." Carlos doesn't respond to him. Kendall starts to walk forward, giving Carlos another smile and a nod. "It's okay." Carlos looks hesitant, but suddenly starts to walk after him. The others look on in amazement.

The two walk out into the hallway and James feels pain take over when Carlos quickly adverts his eyes when he looks at him.

Kendall walks into Carlos' room and Carlos hesitantly follows him inside. He stands in the middle of the room as Kendall picks up the plate of food.

"Uh, okay, this is cold now. I can go heat it up." He moves to walk out and yawns suddenly. He goes to apologize, suddenly stopping when Carlos yawns as well. He tries hard not to burst out laughing when he witnesses that. Carlos himself looks a bit shocked. "On second thought, maybe we should all go to bed." He says with a smile.

The others chuckle slightly when Katie yawns as well. "You know what, you're right. I'm pretty beat myself. It has been a long day today." Mrs. Knight announces as she hugs her daughter slightly.

"yeah, it has been." Kendall replies with a smile as he still keeps his eye on Carlos.

"Oh, we almost forgot, guys." Logan suddenly announces. They all look at him. "Carlos, we haven't given you your welcome back present yet."

The others smile when they too remember this. "I'll go get it." He rushes away, while the others watch Carlos. He still stands in the middle of the room, looking very uncertain.

Kendall walks over to the bed and sits down. He pats a spot next to him. "Come on, sit down." Carlos first slowly moves towards him, but then frowns a little. Kendall watches him curiously and his smile goes away when Carlos' seems to get lost in a trance for a moment. "Carlos?"

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Knight asks in concern.

"I don't know. He seems really far away all of a sudden." Kendall tells her as he gets up and walks towards his friend. "Carlos, come on. Why don't you sit down for a moment?"

Carlos blinks and suddenly returns to them fast. Kendall has put his hand on his back ever so slightly to guide him towards the bed. But Carlos seems to panic and steps backwards. He doesn't even seem to care that he is leaning into Kendall as he tries to scramble away.

"Hey, hey, it's okay…" Kendall tells him as he lightly holds on to his shoulders. Carlos seems so preoccupied in getting away, that he doesn't even fight him.

"Here it is…" Logan's cheerful voice trails off when he sees Carlos' panicked frame leaning against Kendall and still moving backwards. "What's going on? What happened?"

"I'm not sure. I just tried to get him to sit down on the bed and he started to freak out." Kendall explains. Logan looks thoughtful for a moment and looks into Carlos' eyes, before following his gaze.

"I.. I think it's the bed." Logan softly says.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Knight asks.

"His eyes are looking at the bed. If he started to react like this after Kendall tried to guide him towards it, then that must be it. Something about the bed is scaring him." Logan explains.

"Oh my god, guys…" James then mentions. The others look at him and his eyes are filled with pain as he looks back at them. "The bed… He's remembering what happened to him.. what they did to him…" He softly says in a pained voice.

"What are you… oh god…" Logan suddenly realizes what James is getting at. "We should have known that. The bed is triggering memories for him, they must have… done that on a bed…" He hesitantly adds.

The others close their eyes for a moment. "How did we not think of that?" Kendall asks.

"Hey, it's a bed, how could we have taken that into account? I mean, he needs to sleep somewhere." James tells his friends.

"So, now what do we do? We can't just drag the bed out right now." Kendall asks and the others exchange a look.

"Carlos, do you want to sit down?" Kendall softly asks his friend, who has stopped moving backwards and now is trying hard to avoid his gaze away from the bed. "Come on, why don't you sit down?" Kendall tries to push him a little and Carlos suddenly notices Kendall's hands on him.

He quickly moves out of the way, looking at all of them with panicked eyes. They watch with pain in their eyes as he rushes into a corner and sits on the floor. He draws his knees up, trying to make himself disappear.

"I uh… Here's your welcome back present, Carlos." Logan says with a half smile, which is gone right after. "We got you a new one, because we couldn't find the old one. We did make sure it looks the same. I'll uh, I'll just put it down here. So you can take it if you want to." He walks forward a bit and puts a black hockey helmet on the floor in front of his friend. Carlos doesn't respond and just rocks himself back and forth, pretending they're not there.

Mrs. Knight sighs deeply. "Come on, boys. Let's leave him alone. He's had a long day today, we all have." She motions for them to come out of the room. The boys just stare at their friend with heavy hearts.

"But we can't just leave him there…" Kendall mentions.

"Come on, Kendall. He'll be okay. He did take a big step today. Just give him time." Logan tells him and he grabs hold of his friend's arm, slowly leading him outside.

They all look over their shoulder one more time, before quietly going into their separate rooms. But they don't stay in separate rooms for long. Katie eventually ends up in her mother's bed, while the three boys lay wide awake in their beds, before all get up in the middle of the night.

James heads for the bathroom, but doesn't stay in long. Absentmindedly all three of them end up walking towards Carlos' room. They smile slightly as they notice each other. Weird how they still think alike after all this time.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Kendall asks and the other two shake their heads. They all carefully step a bit closer into Carlos' doorway to get a better look. They try hard not to gasp at the sight before them.

Carlos is still curled up in the corner of the room. But there are a few differences that stand out. Completely unexpected the boy is fast asleep. But the biggest difference is the black hockey helmet, which he now holds securely in his arms.

"Oh my god…" James whispers as he sees it.

"Well, it's not on his head yet, but it's a start." Logan says with a smile.

Kendall just shakes his head in disbelief and he walks into the room.

"kendall, what are you doing?" Logan whispers from behind him.

"Shh, I'm just going to give him a blanket." He whispers back.

"You'll wake him up." James whispers.

"I'll be really careful, now shh!" Kendall whispers again. He carefully tugs on the blankets on Carlos' bed. They make a sliding noise and he stops dead in his tracks, glancing at Carlos. But Carlos is still fast asleep and he sighs in relief.

He starts to pull on the blanket again and gathers it up in his arms. He carefully tiptoes over to Carlos and gently places the blanket over his small form. He smiles slightly as his friend looks even more like a child now as he is completely lost in the oversized blanket.

His eyes widen for a moment as the boy shifts slightly. He thinks he woke him for just a moment, but then Carlos just moves his had the other way and one hand pulls the blanket closer to him.

Kendall smiles brighter and gets up before tiptoeing back to his friends. He shakes his head at their faces full disbelief. "Guys, this may be a slow process. But after today, I really think our Carlos is still in there. He's still in there, he's just waiting for us to come and save him." He whispers to the others.

"Kendall, you heard the doctor. He might never be himself again." Logan reminds him.

"Yeah, but you saw him today. He has already done so many things I never thought he would do again. I mean, the way he threw out James' pills. Which we still need to talk about, by the way." He says, directing his gaze towards James now.

"yeah, yeah." James waves him off. "Let's just go back to our rooms before we wake him up." The others nod and they all head back down the hall.

Just as they are about to enter their rooms, they all stop and turn around. They all open their mouths to say something and then have to keep from laughing when they realize the others do the same.

"My room?" Kendall asks and the other two nod. He chuckles and they quickly follow him inside, closing the door behind them. Silent laughter and scolding can be heard as the three boys spend another night in one room.

**A/N I have so many ideas for this story, I just have to restrain myself from putting them all in one chapter :P **

**Hope you liked the chapter again, still very grateful for all the reviews, so thank you so much **

**I might write another chapter tonight, so look out for that tomorrow probably. Right now, I only have ideas for this moment, so the entire process of Carlos going through this is being made up on the spot. **

**Therefore, if there are moments you would like to see here, whether it's bromance or angst or anything, let me know For now I only mean moments where he doesn't speak, because he might never will. **

**I can't tell you if he will, because I don't want to spoil the rest of the story ;)**

**One thing; if this story seems to be going fast, it might only seem like that. In fiction, time can go a lot faster than it looks. Day may have passed in between. So when Carlos seems to be recovering faster than is realistic, just remember that this is all spread out over more days than written.**

**Anyway, thanks again and until next time!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	14. Chapter 14 Fruitloops

Chapter 14 Fruitloops

The next few days are frustrating for everyone as for some reason, they can no longer get Carlos to come out of his room.

They have already removed his bed and replaced it with a bunk bed. It looks sort of like a children's bed. Especially since they had a curtain set up on the bottom instead of a bed. Even though it is still a bed, they know it looks different. And it might remind him of home, since they used to sleep in bunk beds back at the Palm Woods. But no one has seen him sleep in it yet.

Thankfully, he does go to the bathroom by himself, which is next door. But other than this, he sits in the corner of his room.

There are exceptions, though. One day when Mrs. Knight catches him emptying out the medicine cabinet and flushing down all the pills or medication he can find. He flees out of the room when he sees her. She sighs after him, rubbing a hand over her face.

He stays in his room once again. They try to give him food by leaving a plate on his desk. But they have to throw away the food every single day as he just refuses to eat anything.

But this same day seems different somehow. When everyone goes down for breakfast and silently eat, another presence enters the room. They all stop their eating and watch in surprise as Carlos slowly shuffles into the room. He looks very hesitant as he stands there, still huddling his helmet close.

This may seem such a small thing, but it is so huge to them that he hangs on to it. It doesn't matter that it hasn't been on his head yet. The fact that he already sees it as some sort of protection has them jumping on the inside.

"Carlos… Come sit over here!" Katie says excitedly, pulling out the seat next to her. He still looks very hesitant, but very slowly makes his way to the table. They stare at him in disbelief.

He sits down and they just stare again.

"Oh uh.. I'll get you a plate." Mrs. Knight suddenly says as she quickly gets up from her chair and grabs a plate and a glass. She puts them in front of Carlos and Katie doesn't hesitate to put a pancake on his plate.

They watch him and he just stares down at the food, like a lost child. Then they realize how awkward this must be as everyone stares at you, waiting for you to eat.

Kendall clears his throat. "Uh, Logan, could you pass me the syrup?" Logan hands it to him and then elbows James next to him, who still stares.

"So, what are you boys going to do today?" Mrs. Knight asks with a smile as if this is what they do everyday.

"Well, uh, I was thinking of going for a swim today." Kendall tells them.

"yeah and I wanted to play some hockey." James announces. They look at him n surprise. "What? We all love hockey." He defends himself.

"Yeah, but you haven't wanted to play for a long time." Kendall explains.

In the meantime, Katie stays quiet, just listening to them as she carefully watches Carlos and eats her pancakes slowly. She watches as he just stares at his plate.

"It's really good, you know. Mom made them. There's chocolate chips in them, just the way you like them." She tells him with a smile.

She watches and tries not to react as he very slowly moves his hand up and towards the fork next to his plate. She looks at her own feet and tries not to cheer out loud when he picks up the fork and slowly moves it towards the plate.

The others have noticed what is going on, but try not to react either and keep up their small conversations.

Very slowly he starts to cut a piece of the pancake with the fork, but then stops and seems to think it over.

"It's okay." Katie softly tells him with an encouraging smile. He hesitantly moves his hand again, when suddenly the doorbell rings. The shrill sound makes him shoot up from the table and run up the stairs within seconds.

They groan and Kendall angrily stands up from the table and heads out of the room for the front door. The others just shake their heads in annoyance. Such a good moment, ruined by some salesman.

When Kendall comes back in, they are surprised to see a grin on his face.

"Uh, there's a delivery truck outside." They look at him in confusion. "They are here to deliver a purple swirly slide for inside."

"What?" they all reply in disbelief and hurry up from the table. They look in the hallway, when the delivery guys start to bring in parts of indeed a purple swirly slide.

"But we didn't order this. It couldn't go anywhere." Mrs. Knight says in confusion. Kendall shrugs.

"Apparently this was sent here by Griffin and the company. We're also getting an interior designer who is going to adapt the entire house to whatever we want." He says with a chuckle.

Logan and James look at him in shock. "No way…" James exclaims.

"You're serious?" Logan asks. Kendall nods.

"Yeah." He laughs. "Gustavo and Kelly must have talked to him. I mean, I don't know why else… just wow." He says, shaking his head.

That whole day is spent by all of them talking to the designer and making sure the house will be as fun as they and Carlos will want.

The only thing saddening them is Carlos again not coming out of his room. Late in the evening they are all up watching TV, when they hear some noises coming from upstairs.

They look up, but when the noise stops again, they decide to stay. Pushing Carlos isn't going to help at all. They need to give him time, give him space.

The next morning they hope for Carlos to come down for breakfast again, but he never does. They clean up again and the guys go outside to the pool, while Mrs. Knight goes to grab a book from her room.

"Hey guys?" She calls out from the doorway outside as she comes back down.

"Yeah?" Kendall calls back as she walks towards them.

"Have you seen my favorite Fabio novel?" She asks and they have to suppress a grin.

"Haven't you already read that like ten times?" Kendall asks her with a smirk.

"Yes, but I like it. I wanted to read it again, but I can't find it anywhere. I know I put it on my nightstand yesterday and now it's gone." The guys shrug.

"Maybe you placed it down somewhere else?" Logan suggests.

"No, I know I didn't move it." She says again.

"Well, we didn't take it, Mrs. Knight." James tells her. She sighs.

"Alright, I guess I'll have to read another one." She says as she heads back inside.

"Hey, mom, have you seen my leather jacket? You know, the one I got back from the Jennifers at the Palm Woods?" Jennifer Knight rolls her eyes.

"Please tell me you didn't lose that. Do you know how expensive that was?"

"Oh, please, we didn't even pay for it. Gustavo did. And I didn't lose it. I hung it on my door so I could wear it today. I'm meeting with Russell Brand to discuss some party ideas. So have you seen it?" Jennifer Knight frowns.

"No, I haven't. Did you see my Fabio novel?" She asks her daughter.

"The one with the beach on the cover?" She nods. "No." Mrs. Knight hangs her head and sighs.

"Fine, I'll just pick a different one to read today."

"And I guess I'll have to pick out a different jacket to wear. I just can't figure out where it went."

"I know." Mrs. Knight frowns again as she thinks of this.

By the pool the guys sit with just their feet in the water.

"So do you guys think this will ever get any easier?" James quietly asks his friends.

Logan sighs. "I don't know. I mean, every time he does something I really want to be happy that he's improving. And then something happens and we're back to square one. I'm not sure he'll ever be himself again." He confesses in all honesty.

"Guys, how can you stay so negative? The doctor said it would take time. And he has been improving. He let me touch him. And he threw out those pills. Doesn't that say something?" Kendall asks them, getting out of the pool and standing up.

"Kendall, those were just moments. He went straight back to being a lost child afterwards." Logan argues.

"He almost had breakfast with us yesterday. He came downstairs all by himself and he almost started eating. How are those just moments? I'm telling you, he is improving." Kendall argues back. "How can you be so negative about this?"

"Do you really think I want to feel so hopeless? Don't you think I want to jump for joy every time he does something even remotely normal? I do, Kendall. But every time I almost do, he reverts back into a scared kid who won't talk to us. We can't even go near him without him flinching or backing into a wall. It's just easier to handle this way." Logan tells him now also on his feet.

"I really can't believe this. You're actually giving up on him." Kendall tells them, shaking his head. James and Logan exchange looks.

"We are not giving up on him, Kendall. We just don't think you should read too much into this." James adds.

"So him saving your life by throwing out those pills is just a moment, too, huh?" Kendall asks, eying James intently. James sighs and looks at the ground. "Yeah, that's what I thought. He may be moving slow, but he is coming back to us. I can feel it."

"Kendall, you're only going to get disappointed or frustrated if you keep this up." Logan tells him with concern in his voice.

"So I should just expect him never to get better, just so I can feel better? No. I am not going to do that. You know what, I am going to get him to eat. Today." He announces as he heads inside. James and Logan quickly shake a look and rush after him.

"You can't force him to do anything, Kendall." James warns.

"Who says I'm going to force him?" He says with a sudden smile. The other two can see the gears in his head turning as his devious smile shows an obvious plan.

"I really don't think this is a good idea." Logan says while shaking his head. They watch as Kendall grabs a small bowl and fills it with fruit loops and milk. "This isn't going to work." He adds as Kendall starts to head for the stairs.

"You don't even know what my plan is yet." Kendall replies as he starts to climb the staircase. His friends quickly follow.

"No, but it can't end well." James adds now. Kendall stops walking and rolls his eyes as he looks at his friends over his shoulder.

"If you guys don't believe in it, then stay out of it. I don't need your help. I am going to get him to eat this." With that he turns back around and walks further up.

"I can't watch this." Logan says as he shakes his head. But then he reluctantly follows his blonde friend. He only climbs a few steps and then stops, when he realizes James isn't following. He hangs back and looks at the pretty boy. "James? Are you coming?"

"Uh, no. If he wants to sit there and wait for paint to dry, he can go ahead. I'm going out." James says as he heads back down. Logan watches him with confusion.

"Out where?" He calls out after his friend as he reaches the door.

"Just out!" James calls back. Logan can just see his friend grabbing his jacket, before he hears the door slam. He groans in frustration as he ponders whether to go after him. But then he takes one more look up the stairs and decides to choose Carlos.

He heads for the boy's room, not surprised to see Kendall waiting outside.

"Didn't want to miss it, huh?" He teases with a smile. Logan just sighs in annoyance.

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't get your hopes up for this, Kendall. You know there's a slim chance anything will happen." He analyzes, making Kendall roll his eyes again.

"Come on." He says as they head inside. Kendall makes sure to knock on the door, making the young man sitting in the corner look up. His eyes look frightened right away, but he doesn't turn away.

"Hey, buddy. How are you?" Kendall asks him. Of course not getting a response, so he clears his throat and continues, walking closer to him as he talks. "You must be hungry. I mean, I haven't seen you eat anything for days now. I uh, I got you some fruit loops with milk. Just the way you like it." He holds an encouraging smile on his face as he shows Carlos the bowl.

The young man just stares, his emotions not changing. Logan watches with concern and then surprise when Kendall goes to sit directly in front of Carlos on the floor.

Carlos seems surprised as well as he stares at his blonde friend. Kendall just acts as if it's completely normal and makes himself comfortable.

"Wow, this floor is really comfy. No wonder you like to sit here." He jokes with a smile. But it falters a little when Carlos just continues to stare in apprehension. He chooses to look at the bowl of cereal instead.

"Oh man, this looks really tasty. I might just eat them myself if you're not hungry. Are you hungry?" He asks, but gets no response. He proceeds to pick up the spoon and stirs it into the bowl a little, before scooping up some fruit loops and milk. He lets it hover just over the tip of the bowl and then sneaks a peak at Carlos.

Just like he was hoping, he finds the boy's eyes now staring intently at the spoon. The minute he finds Kendall staring, he quickly turns his head away. But Kendall just smirks and starts to move the spoon further up. He catches Carlos following his movements from the corner of his eyes.

He slowly moves the spoon towards his mouth. He opens it up and right before he shoves the spoon in, he looks at Carlos again.

Logan watches the exchange from the doorway with interest. He is amazed to see Carlos actually responding to what his friend is doing. It seemed so simple, yet it hurt so much, seeing as this was the same way to get a baby to eat.

Carlos stares intently at the spoon again and Kendall closes his mouth.

"Do you want it?" He asks and offers the spoon in his direction. Carlos backs up again when he finds himself caught staring again. Kendall sighs and drops the spoon. "Well, I guess I'll just have to eat it myself then. But you know what? I'm not really that hungry. So I guess I'll just throw it out." He shrugs and moves to stand up with his back turned towards Carlos.

He can sense movement behind him and looks at Logan with a triumphant smirk. Logan's mouth opens in slight shock as Carlos has actually reached his hand out quickly to almost grab Kendall's wrist. But before he does, he suddenly looks at his own hand and draws it back with some disbelief.

Kendall turns around with a smile and looks at Carlos who now tries to avoid his gaze.

"On second thought, I think I'll leave the bowl right here. Eat it if you want to, leave it if you don't. It's your choice." He shrugs again and gently places the bowl on the floor in front of Carlos. Carlos cautiously keeps his eyes on it as Kendall slowly walks out of the room.

The two friends sneak one more glance at Carlos, who still stares at the bowl with caution, but interest as well.

"Come on." Kendall whispers and he takes Logan by the arm as he guides them a few paces away from the door.

"What are we…"

"Shh. Just wait." Kendall tells his friend as he waits for something to happen. Logan just looks at him with raised eyebrows. Kendall strains his ears for a moment and then smiles.

Logan listens closer and suddenly recognizes a faint sound. It's the soft clinging of a spoon being picked up.

"Is he actually taking the bowl?" Logan whispers with some disbelief.

Kendall slowly moves his head towards the doorway, just barely peaking inside, before moving his head back.

"I told you I could get him to eat." He says with a smile, but Logan can hear the surprise in his own voice. Together they slowly move their heads to the doorway and sneak inside.

Carlos is cautiously holding the bowl of cereal in his hands as he slowly, but surely eats the cereal with shaking hands.

"Dude… I can't believe this. How did you do that? I mean, he hasn't been eating anything since we got here. And you did it within minutes." Logan whispers in disbelief.

"Don't you realize he was probably really hungry? I really don't think I had much to do with it. Why do you think he came down for breakfast yesterday?" Kendall says with a soft chuckle. "He's starving and he knows he can't keep this up. I mean, it's still Carlos."

"Still. I mean, you got him to eat." Kendall looks down a little and smiles softly. "Who knows what else you could get him to do." Logan adds and Kendall raises his eyebrows.

"I don't know about that." He replies with a shy smile. Logan smiles back.

"I think you can, Kendall. I really do." He pats his friend in the arm and together they start to head back downstairs, giving Carlos time alone.

"Hey, where did James go by the way?" Kendall suddenly asks.

"Uh, he went out." Logan replies, leaving Kendall to look at him in confusion.

"Out where?"

Later that day, Katie and Mrs. Knight listen to the two boys telling them what happened with big smiles. They look hopeful, but they remind them that this is Carlos and it's about food. It doesn't mean that much.

They sit down for dinner, but the conversation quickly goes silent when they realize James isn't home yet. Kendall decides to call him. But when his voicemail message plays, he sighs and hangs up.

Logan looks at him with worry. "What now?"

"We just wait. There's nothing we can do. He's gone out before. He'll be back." He explains, but he can't help feel worry creeping in.

A few hours later, when they are sitting in the living room watching TV together, they all look up at the door opening and shutting. James strolls in, breathing heavily as if he's been running.

"Hey, guys." He says nonchalantly.

"So where've you been?" Kendall asks him with a slight scowl as his eyes are still glued to the TV.

"Out. I needed to clear my head." He explains. Kendall nods.

"So, did you go to buy new pills? Or maybe you bought some pot this time." James looks angry and shakes his head.

"No, Kendall. I didn't buy drugs." He says, his eyes narrowing. Kendall huffs. "For your information, I went to the gym. I let out all my frustrations on a punching bag and then I sat and cried in a corner by myself. Okay?"

The others turn around and Kendall looks a little guilty as James looks hurt.

"I just… I just needed some time alone and I.. I guess I couldn't hold it in anymore." He says softly, his voice sounding upset as he holds his head down. Kendall and Logan get up from the couch and walk over to him.

"James, you are not going through this alone. Don't think you have to." Kendall tells him and he pulls his head up slightly. Tears are pooling in his eyes.

"We're here for you. If you want to talk or scream or cry, just talk to us." Logan adds. James nods. "But if you need to punch something, talk to someone else." He suggests and James chuckles and sniffles.

"Thanks guys." He tells them and pulls them both into a hug.

"hey, we're all in this together man, whether you like it or not." Kendall says as he playfully slaps James, who punches him in the shoulder.

"Oh, James. You'll never guess. Kendall tricked Carlos into eating fruit loops this afternoon." Logan gushes.

"What? No way." James says in disbelief, but a smile is already on his face. Kendall shrugs a little. "Dude… what happened?"

Their conversation trails off as they explain the story the second time that day.

That night, the boys sleep in their own rooms. No matter how much they need each other's support, they know they need to learn not to depend too much on the others.

When everyone sleeps, Kendall awakes to a strange sound. He can hear moaning and mumbling down the hall. He sits up and throws his blankets off. He heads out the hallway, nearly bumping into Logan who looks at him sleepily.

"Do you hear that?" Kendall asks as he hears the moan again.

"Why do you think I'm walking around like a zombie?" Logan retorts. Together they slowly walk through the hallway.

"I think it's coming from James' room." Kendall suggests and Logan nods as they head towards his door.

When they reach the door, their eyes widen in shock. James is tossing and turning in his bed. Sweat is glistening on his forehead and he is moaning and mumbling as his eyes are scrunched.

"No, please, don't hurt him.." he mumbles.

But that is not what shocked the two boys in the doorway. They are busy staring at the figure sitting on James' bed and his hand reaching to brush the wet hair from his face.

Before he can stop himself, Logan gasps. The figure stiffens and whips his head around. They all look at each other in shock, but a sudden cry makes them avert their gaze.

"No!" James cries out as he shoots upright. He tries to get his breathing back to normal. But he wasn't prepared to be staring into the warm brown eyes of Carlos as he stares at him and sits near him.

They stare at each other for a little while, before Carlos' eyes turn frightened once again and he practically jumps off the bed and flees the room.

Everyone is frozen to the spot for a moment, until Logan breaks the silence.

"What was that?" He asks. The others shake their heads. James gets up from his bed, ignoring how he is covered in sweat as they all rush towards Carlos' room.

"Why was he in here?" James asks, his voice sounding strained.

"I'm guessing he heard you moaning and mumbling. That's why we came over. That must have been some dream, huh?" Kendall asks. James just nods absentmindedly.

"I don't understand. He didn't even look scared. He looked worried, hurt." James tells them.

"I know, that was really weird. I mean, he actually brushed the hair from your face right before you woke up." Logan adds.

They look inside the corner of his room, but find nothing there.

"Guys, look." James whispers and the other two follow his gaze. There underneath the bunk bed, they can see a shape sitting behind the curtain.

"I guess he found a new hiding spot." Logan suggests.

"Yeah. I guess it's better than sitting in the corner all day." Kendall says with a sigh.

"Come on, let's just go back to bed." Logan tells them. Reluctantly they leave, as there is no way he'll come out again. They don't notice the face peaking over the side of the curtain, staring after them as they walk out the door.

**A/N So here's another chapter. So soon? Yes, that soon ;)**

**Sorry if this chapter is a little confusing here and there. For some reason I'm really tired lately and today I can't seem to think completely straight. So if you do catch some mistakes or are confused about something, let me know. I'll make sure to adapt the chapter and reupload **

**Thanks for the support once again. I'm feeling really stressed lately and all the reviews and stuff are giving me a nice boost to feel better **

**I hope you liked this chapter and I will try to update my other stories as well soon, when I'm more focused :P**

**Until next time and Love, Baxxie**


	15. Chapter 15 Closer

Chapter 15 Closer

The day has come that the guys have to get ready to go to work. All heavily protested when Mrs. Knight told them they had to. But they need to earn money somehow. Plus, they need to get out of the house sometime.

So now it's morning and everyone is running around like crazy. All except for one.

"Logan, come on! Your hair is not long enough to spend so much time in the bathroom!" James yells as he pounds on the bathroom door again.

"Katie, are you dressed yet?" Mrs. Knight adds to the chaos as she knocks on her daughter's bedroom.

"Hurry up, Logan, we're going to be late!" Kendall yells now as he rushes down the hallway. He stops in front of the last bedroom door, hesitating on what to do. He holds up his hand, prepared to knock, but sighs before letting it fall down again.

He walks back to the bathroom door, rolling his eyes as James pounds on it again.

"Logan, you better not be using my Cuda products again!" Kendall tries to stifle his laughter. It's been so long since James has even used the products himself, it's nice to see things slowly going back to normal.

"Come here, I'll handle this." Kendall quietly says as he pulls James away from the door.

"Oh no! Someone stole all your medical books!" he yells, putting his hands around his mouth to increase volume.

They wait for a moment, when the door finally opens.

They both gasp as they see Logan. He looks even paler than usual, while his eyes look bloodshot and he breathes heavily as he leans against the doorframe.

"Dude, you look like crap." Kendall exclaims. Logan just glares at him.

"Yeah, thanks." His voice croaks as he coughs loudly. They wince at the sound of it. He groans and grabs his throat.

"Logan, my god. Are you okay?" Mrs. Knight suddenly asks from right beside them. She immediately grabs his arm. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get you to bed."

"But I need to go to work." He protests, but doesn't have the strength to fight her as she leads him to his bedroom.

Kendall shakes his head at them and then moves to step into the bathroom. But before he has a chance to, the door shuts in his face.

"James!" he shouts angrily.

"hey, I need time to get ready. I have a modeling job!" James shouts back.

"Don't they have a hair and make-up department over there?" Kendall asks him.

"Of course they do, but I need to look good before I go outside again, Kenny." Kendall rolls his eyes when he hears the sound of a hairdryer being switched on and walks away.

Half an hour later, Kendall checks his watch again and sighs. He shakes his head, before heading up the stairs. Before he's halfway, a sudden loud shriek has him taking two steps at once. He opens the bathroom door with panic.

"What happened?" James stands in the middle of the bathroom, with wide eyes. "James, what happened?" He asks, shaking his friend's shocked shoulders.

"My lucky comb… It's gone!" He exclaims. Kendall groans and immediately lest go of his friend and heads outside. "hey! Aren't you going to help me look for it?" James' desperate voice sounds from behind him.

"It's a comb, James. It's not the end of the world." Kendall exclaims in annoyance, pinching the bridge of his nose.

James gasps loudly. "It is not just a comb, Kendall. That comb has gotten me a lot of things, it is lucky!"

"James, we have to go. I am already late and you will be, too, if we don't leave in the next five minutes!" Kendall yells at his friend.

"But my comb… I can't leave the house without it!" His friend whines and Kendall groans again, before grabbing his arm and dragging him downstairs.

"We'll go look for it when we get back. Now, let's go!"

"But Kendall…" he whines again, but Kendall's grip on his arm is tight and he reluctantly lets himself get pulled out the door.

"See you later, mom!" Kendall's voice rings through the door. Upstairs, Mrs. Knight is just pulling the thermometer out of Logan's mouth.

"Ooh, 102.4 already? Oh, honey. You really are sick. Well, you just rest, I'll go make you some soup." She says, before getting up from his bed.

"Mama Knight, that's really not necessary. I'm fine." He croaks and tries to sit up. Mrs. Knight smiles at him and gently pushes him back down, pulling the covers over him.

"No, you're not. I know you don't like people taking care of you like this, but you don't have a choice. I already called your boss and told him you were sick."

"What? Why did you do that? I've already stayed away from work too long, he'll fire me…" He groans, before coughing again.

"He's not going to fire you. He understands perfectly why you haven't been to work and he said the door is open if you're ready to go back." She smiles again and heads for the door. "Now go to sleep. I'll get you that soup."

He sighs, before reluctantly closing his eyes.

He awakes much later, his head pounding and everything spinning. He can faintly hear shouting in the distance as he groans and closes his eyes again.

"I didn't take your stupid comb, James!" Katie yells as James has started to accuse everyone ever since he got back from work.

"My comb is not stupid! It is lucky and I want it back!" he shouts, his face red with anger and some panic. He has already searched the house, but it is nowhere to be found.

"Shut up, James, you're going to wake up Logan!" Kendall hisses.

"I don't care who I wake up! No one is moving until I have my lucky comb back!"

"What is all this shouting about?" Mrs. Knight's voice rings through as she walks through the front door. Her arms are filled with grocery bags. "I can't leave to go shopping for one hour without you boys getting into trouble?"

"We're not in trouble, mom. Pretty Boy here has lost his lucky comb." Kendall tells her as he grabs some bags from her and they walk into the kitchen.

"I did not lose it. Someone took it!" James accuses again as he starts to point his finger towards Kendall now.

"I didn't take it, James. Why would I want your comb?"

"You want your hair to get as awesome as mine." James says, while Kendall shoots him a look that says 'are you kidding me?'.

"I did not.." Kendall starts again, when his mom interrupts.

"Boys!" They both look at her. "Stop shouting at each other. You're going to wake up Logan and scare Carlos." This time, James finally gets the message and keeps his mouth shut.

"This isn't over, Knight!" He whispers harshly and points at Kendall. "I'm watching you…" He says as he walks away, making Kendall rolls his eyes at him.

"How'd your modeling job go anyway?" Kendall asks him, pretending they never fought in the first place.

"It went fine." Is all James says. Kendall looks at him with a frown.

"That bad, huh?" He replies. James sighs.

"It just… I thought they just wanted me, you know. Turns out I was hired as an extra, while some guy way more handsome than me got to play the lead." He solemnly says as he puts away some groceries.

"I'm sorry, man." Kendall tells him and pats him on the back.

"Yeah, well. Welcome to the real world, I guess?"

"Come on, why don't we go see how Logan is doing and then it's your turn to get Carlos to eat something." He says with a sly smile as he takes one corndog out of the oven and puts it on a plate.

"You really think he's ready to eat corndogs yet? So far he's only eating fruit loops and other cereal." James tells him as they trudge up the stairs together.

"We can at least try, can't we?" Kendall shrugs.

They slowly mount the stairs, but when they get to the threshold, they sprint forward. In their line of vision is Logan. He is on his knees on the carpet while he throws up violently.

"Jesus, Logan… What happened?" Kendall puts the corndog out of his sight as he kneels beside Logan and rubs his back soothingly.

"I'm sorry… I tried to make it to the bathroom…" Logan mutters when he is finally done. James in the meantime has gone to look for a towel to clean p the mess. He scrunches up his nose, but starts to clean up, while Kendall gently gets Logan on his feet and to the bathroom.

"It's okay, Logan. It can happen to anyone." He offers his friend as he pulls his dirty shirt over his head.

"Not to me. I don't get sick, Kendall. I usually take care of you guys. I feel like a child." Kendall smirks a little. "It's not funny." He whines as he sits on the toilet.

"It is a little funny, Logan. I mean, all those times you were whining about us acting like kids when we were sick. Now you know how it feels." He jokes. But when Logan just glares at him in misery, he clears his throat. "Okay, maybe not so funny. Just try to wash up a little, I'll get you dry clothes." He hands Logan a wet washcloth as he retreats into his bedroom.

When Kendall comes back, Logan is looking more miserable than ever and is swaying while sitting down.

"Kendall, I don't feel good…" he quietly says and Kendall winces.

"Yeah, I know, bud. Come on, let's get you in these dry pajamas and back to bed." Logan doesn't have the strength to argue as Kendall helps him undress and then dress again. He tries to stand on his own, but find himself almost meeting the floor, before Kendall catches him. Everything begins to turn, when he feels himself being swooped up in strong arms and carried off towards his bed.

He moans softly when the covers are gently pulled over him again and a cool washcloth brushes his forehead.

"Kendall…" He mutters as he shivers a little suddenly. The covers are pulled even further over his body.

"Shh, just get some sleep." Kendall's voice soothes him and he closes his eyes again.

Kendall walks out into the hallway where James is trying to rub out a stain on the carpet.

"Dude, this is really nasty." He complains, but his looks soften at once with concern. "How is he?"

"Back in bed now. I think his fever is going up. I'll put a bucket next to his bed, just to make sure." James nods as he walks away.

"Guys, what happened?" Mrs. Knight's voice exclaims when she comes up the stairs and finds James cleaning up.

"Logan had a little accident." James explains.

"But don't worry, we already covered it." Kendall assures her when her eyes widen in concern. "He's already back in bed with the covers drawn up."

Jennifer Knight goes to stand in the doorway of the boy's bedroom for a moment. She watches in concern at the sweat drops now glistening on the boy's forehead.

"I think his fever went up." Kendall tells her and she nods ever so slightly.

James gets up when he's finally done cleaning. He's about to go to the bathroom to rinse out the towel again, when he looks up in small shock.

"Carlos…" He exclaims and the two Knights turn around. Their eyes go from concern to surprise when they find Carlos standing in the hallway looking nervous.

He looks at the floor, but eyes them cautiously from time to time, barely lifting his head.

"hey, buddy. Oh uh, here. This is for you." Kendall says with a smile as he retrieves the plate with the corndog from the floor. He holds it out for the younger boy, who only looks at it with a small frown. "yeah, I guess it's cold now. I'm sorry. I guess I forgot about it when I was helping Logan."

A small moan comes from Logan's room. To everyone's surprise, Carlos' turns his head towards the sound and without hesitation moves towards the doorway. There, he stops and looks into the room with some confusion. He stares at the feverish looking form in the bed and his eyes fill with concern.

"He suddenly felt sick this morning. His fever has gone pretty high, but he'll be okay." Mrs. Knight assures him and the other two boys keep their eyes on their younger friend. They are waiting for him to make a move, any move. But after a small while, Carlos just turns around and suddenly seems very much aware that they are staring at him.

He hurries away, but not before Kendall sees him taking the plate with the now cold corndog with him. It takes them a minute, but then something clicks into James' mind.

"Was he wearing his helmet?" He exclaims.

"Yeah. Yeah, he was." Kendall nearly whispers, trying to stop the huge smile from appearing on his face.

Later in the evening, everyone is sitting at the dinner table. All minus Logan, who is still tossing and turning in bed. And of course Carlos, who has not come out of his room again.

"I can't believe he took the corndog with him." Katie laughs as the others relay the story again.

"And he was so sneaky about it, too. I mean, Kendall was still staring at him, but he just walked up to him and slowly pulled the plate out of his hands." James says with excitement in his voice.

"And you really saw him wear his helmet?" Katie asks again.

"Yeah, he was actually wearing it. I don't know how or why, but he was wearing it." He says, still in disbelief himself.

Just then, some loud noises are coming from upstairs. Mumbling followed by shouting. Mrs. Knight rushes to stand up, but Kendall puts a hand on her arm, also getting up.

"I got it." James doesn't hesitate to follow him and Kendall doesn't stop him as they hurry up the stairs together.

Logan's dream seems to be getting worse. In it he is trying to save his friend's lives. A madman is chasing the three other guys and he is running after them to stop him. But he stumbles and falls to the ground. When he lifts his head, he can see the man has gotten Carlos. The young man struggles in his grasp as the madman drags him off into the woods.

"No… Carlos! No… Let go… Let go of him…" He mutters, his voice increasing and decreasing in volume as his feverish nightmare continues.

He can hear Carlos screaming in the distance. He tries to get up, but he realizes he can't move. In horror he can hear Carlos' cries for him.

Suddenly, warm arms envelop him. He looks around, but can't see anyone. He struggles as he continues to yell for Carlos' safety.

His body shivers as he suddenly feels freezing. But then, it starts to feel warm again. A warm body is pressing into him, making him feel more comfortable than he has in years.

"Shh… It's okay, Logie…" A voice whispers into his chest as the figure snuggles into him, holding him close, protecting him.

His shouting dies down to mere whimpers as he starts to feel safe again. Then, silence remains as the nightmare goes away and he finally sleeps.

James and Kendall are halfway up the stairs when they notice the sudden silence. They share one look before racing up the stairs and towards Logan's bedroom.

The sight they are greeted with stops them dead in their tracks.

Logan lies on the bed, still feverish, face glistening with sweat. But right there, holding onto him like his life depends on it, is Carlos. His head lies on Logan's chest. Both are fast asleep, looking more comfortable than ever.

"Oh my god…" James mutters and Kendall has to put a hand over his mouth and drag him out to the hallway. He puts a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" He asks in a whisper, a sudden smile appearing on his face. James just nods as he also starts to smile.

"That… He's…" James utters, not able to make any coherent sentences.

"I know…" Kendall chuckles. "Come on, let's go back downstairs. I can't wait to tell mom and Katie about this." James is still to stunned to speak. Kendall starts to drag him down the stairs, while he keeps his eyes on the door in shock.

**A/N Hi!**

**So sorry for the long wait. It's been a little hectic with finishing up my internship and starting school again a few days later.**

**Anyway, I want to thank two people in particular for their idea for this chapter: BTR'slovesong & Carla. I really liked the idea of getting someone to be sick in this chapter. Normally I would have chosen James, but I wanted to show some fluff with the other guys, too. So, thanks guys **

**And thanks to everyone else for reviewing again. It means a lot and I couldn't do it without you **

**Keep the ideas coming and the reviews too of course ;) I'll try to update sooner this time. But until then; **

**Love to you all, Baxxie **


	16. Chapter 16 Surprises

Chapter 16 Surprises

When Logan wakes up the next morning he is aware of a few things. One, he feels a lot better than the night before. Two, he has the strange sensation something is missing. He was feeling warm before and arms were embracing him, right?

Or maybe that was just a dream? Oh god… that nightmare he had about Carlos. That was so horrible. He shudders at the thought of it.

He had felt so cold, but then someone embraced him. He suddenly realizes someone spoke to him.

"_It's okay, Logie…"_

The sentence replays in his mind. That happened in his dream, right?

Carlos used to call him that. Logie. He always hated that nickname, but allowed Carlos to call him that. He never knew why. There was just something about the innocence with which his friend said it that made him cave every time.

But it couldn't have been Carlos. Not even in his dream. Logan had watched him get dragged through the woods.

He shakes his head in confusion and sits up slowly. He blinks a little, before throwing the covers off of him. He looks down and wrinkles his nose in disgust when he notices himself completely drenched in sweat.

He carefully gets out of bed and puts on a fresh pair of pants and sweatshirt. He shivers a little and puts on a bathrobe as well, before shuffling out the door.

He faintly hears laughter coming from downstairs as he walks down. He smiles as the laughter sounds like music in his ears and it gets louder.

His family looks up in surprise when he walks into the kitchen.

"hey, look who's up?" Kendall announces with a smile as he eats his cereal.

"How you feeling, sweetie?" Mrs. Knight asks him as he gently sits down.

"A little tired, but much better now." He croaks with a small smile through sleepy eyes.

"You want to eat something?" James asks as he moves to stand up.

"No, no." Logan quickly tells him, already feeling his stomach churn at the thought. James chuckles a little and sits back down.

Logan suddenly feels everyone's eyes on him. He looks up and frowns at the amused, sparkling eyes directed towards him.

"What? I know, I look horrible." He says to them playfully. Kendall smirks.

"Logan, how much do you remember from last night?" He asks him, his eyes still sparkling.

"You mean before or after I puked my guts out in the hallway?" They all grimace at that.

"After." James then adds, smirk returning on his face as well.

"Well, I know Kendall helped me to the bathroom and I think into bed?" He says with a questioning look. Kendall nods with a smile.

"How about after that?" His friend asks him, taking another spoon of cereal.

"After that?" Kendall nods again. "Uh, I remember it was really cold and I started to have this really bad dream, but then I felt really calm and I think I feel asleep."

James and Kendall shoot each other knowing looks. Logan looks between them with confusion.

"Okay, I give. What is going on?" He asks them. They share one more look and all four people at the table have excited glances on their faces. "Guys, what?"

Kendall smiles as he looks down for a moment and then back up at Logan. "Well, we were downstairs when we heard you moaning upstairs. James and I rushed upstairs, when you suddenly became quiet." He exchanges another knowing look with James before continuing. "So, we walked up to your room and there he was."

"Who?" Logan asks with a frown.

"Carlos." James tells him.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Carlos was in your arms, Logan. He was lying in your bed and he was holding you. He had his head on your chest and everything." James says excitedly.

Logan gasps slightly. "What? No, but… How did he… Why…" He stammers.

"I'm serious, man. He was right there." James says, his eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, I don't know why or how, but he was there. It was like he protecting you." Kendall tells him.

"Carlos was holding me?" Logan asks them, in slight shock. The others nod. "Wow, I don't… I… Carlos was doing that?" He asks, his voice growing soft as a smile starts to appear on his face.

"Yeah, dude, he totally was. Oh, I almost forgot!" James suddenly announces. "He wore his helmet that day too!" He sasy excitedly.

"Oh yeah and he ate a corndog." Kendall adds, both friends supporting wide grins.

"Carlos did all of that? Man, why did I have to miss that?" Logan whines a little.

"He made so much progress. He even got worried about you as you were in your room." James tells him.

Logan smiles softly and looks down a little. James grabs his shoulder and squeezes it affectionately.

"You know, I uh… I might have imagined this. But I think… I think he might have talked, too." They all exchange looks at that and grow confused.

"What do you mean?" Kendall asks him.

"When I was asleep and feeling miserable… I remember havng this really bad dream that Carlos was being dragged away from me by this scary guy into the woods. He was screaming and I tried to get to him, but I couldn't. And then I felt two arms embrace me and I felt warm and safe. I thought it was just a dream, but from what you said, I guess it must have been real. So that makes the next thing what happened real, too." He smiles and pauses. His friends all look more confused and concerned than ever. "Like I said, I felt warm arms embracing me and then this voice talked to me. It said; 'it's okay, Logie.' I mean, I thought it was just part of the dream, because no one besides Carlos ever calls me that. But if he was really hugging me, then maybe he really talked as well."

He carefully picks his head up to look at his friends. They all look very shocked, before huge grins appear on their faces.

"He talked? He actually talked?" Mrs. Knight voice rings through as she starts to sniffle.

"Mom, you…" kendall sighs before pulling his mother into a hug as she cries.

"I can't believe he actually talked." James quietly says as if he is talking to himself.

"Hey, guys, I don't know for sure if he did, okay? I just assumed he did because he hugged me, but…"

"Guys?" Katie's voice calls out to them. They look up and find her staring at… Carlos. He fiddles with the straps of his helmet, which is now lodged onto his head, like it had never left. He eyes them nervously.

"Hey, buddy." James says as he gets up to walk over to the boy. But Carlos steps backwards immediately, making James back up again. He holds up his hands in surrender. "I'm not going to do anything. Sit down." He says with a warm smile, pointing to a n empty chair next to him.

Carlos looks very hesitant, like he's deciding on whether to run and hide or actually join them.

"It's okay, Carlos." Logan tells him as well, offering him a second warm smile. Carlos looks at him and Logan wants to cry when he sees his look. 'Are you okay?' shines through his eyes. "I'm feeling a lot better now, thanks to you." Logan quietly tells him as he looks at his hands.

A look of reassurance takes over Carlos' emotion. "Come on, sit down." He offers again as he pulls out the chair right next to his.

Carlos looks hesitant again, but slowly starts to move. Strangely enough he doesn't move to sit next to Logan, but chooses to take the chair next to Katie instead. She smiles widely as he sits down.

"You want some cereal?" She asks him as she moves to stand up. They all watch as he slowly but surely nods. It was hardly visible, but they saw it nonetheless and try hard from crying out with glee. Katie jumps up and goes to pick him a bowl and a spoon, setting it down in front of him.

She waits for a moment, but when he keeps his hands in his lap and wearingly looks down, she grabs the cereal and pours it into his bowl. She adds the milk and then goes back to her own breakfast. All the while keeping an eye on her big brother.

She quickly shoots her other brothers a look when they stare at Carlos at the same time. When they realize what they're doing, they scrape their throats and start to eat while making small talk.

"So, how about that hockey game last night?" Katie giggles at James' attempt to keep the guys busy while Kendall and Logan roll their eyes.

As the small talk continues, Carlos very slowly starts to eat. Everyone tries to hold in cheers and just talk like they always would. All the while Carlos watches them carefully from under his helmet.

"Hey, when you're done with breakfast, how about we watch some cartoons?" Katie suddenly asks Carlos, who looks up in surprise with his spoon midway. "Spongebob will be on in like ten minutes." She tells him.

He just looks around as everyone stares at him again, but doesn't show a hint of an answer as he starts to eat again. Kendall gently squeezes Katie's hand when he sees how dejected she looks.

Carlos gulps as he notices everyone is done with their breakfast, while his bowl is still half full. They stay seated at the table, waiting for him.

Logan is the first one who notices how uncomfortable he looks and moves to stand up. "Well, I'm ready to take a shower now." He smiles as he gets up.

James gets closer to him and suddenly looks very disgusted.

"Phew, dude. Yeah, you're right. You should get a shower. And fast. You're stinking up the place." Logan laughs and playfully shoves his friend.

"Yeah and the smell of your Cuda lime spray is that much better?" he teases, earning a gasp from James.

"Don't mock my Cuda!" He threatens with wide eyes as he points at Logan's chest.

"Really? And what if I do, huh? Maybe I should just go and empty every can right now." Logan says with a daring taunt as he starts to head for the stairs.

"You wouldn't dare!" James hisses.

"Okay then." Logan shrugs and heads up the stairs.

"Logan? He wouldn't, right?" James asks as he turns to the others still seated at the table. They don't answer, just look at him with amused smiles. His eyes grow wide and he hurries for the stairs. "Logan!"

The others laugh when he heads out and they hear him pound on the bathroom door. Mrs. Knight almost cries again as she looks over at Carlos and finds the corners of his mouth curled slightly upwards. That hint of a smile means so much to her. She wants to shout it out to the others as they laugh, but doesn't want to risk of it fading away. So she just puts a hand on her chest and sighs happily, before getting up.

"Okay, guys. Enough chitchat. Let's clean up." She announces and everyone gets up and picks up their bowl to put them in the sink. Carlos looks up while still eating. He goes to put his spoon down, but Mrs. Knight carefully approaches him.

"It's okay, honey. You can finish while we clean up. No need to rush." He looks up at her in surprise when she ends up so close to him. But he doesn't leave either.

She almost widens her eyes in shock when his mouth opens suddenly. He seems to want to say something, but he closes his mouth just as fast and looks at his hands again.

She sighs and when it is now clear he doesn't want to finish the cereal, she carefully grabs the bowl from the table. She moves towards the kitchen, when suddenly the bowl is pulled from her hands. She looks down in surprise to see Carlos nervously shifting his feet as he holds the bowl. He tries to avoid her look as he walks ahead of her and puts the bowl in the sink.

He looks her in the eyes for a moment and then hurries away again. She watches him leave in a slight daze. "Uh, thank you, honey." She softly calls out and watches him as he hurries off up the stairs.

Kendall shakes his head as he watches his friend hurry away as well. "Well, that's something he's never done before. Like, ever." He says with surprise in his voice. He puts an arm around his mother's shoulder. She sends him a slight glare and playfully pushes him away.

"Kendall! Spongebob is on!" Katie yells from the living room suddenly and he hurries off to watch the cartoon with his sister.

Lucy Crimson sits in front of the video screens, her elbow resting on the desk and her hand under her chin. She grabs her cup of coffee, ready to take another sip, but groans as she finds it empty. A sudden knock on the door has her looking up momentarily before gluing her eyes to the screen again.

"How's it going?" As her partner Nathan Parker walks in with a fresh cup of coffee she gives him a grateful look before gulping down a bunch from it. "I take it you've been watching this a long time then." He guesses with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, you have no idea." She shakes her head. "There are hundreds of tapes here. Right now I've watched like forty hours of tape from just the hall. But guess what? They hardly ever even appear there. I've only seen them walk through it when they dragged kids inside." She tells him.

"Maybe you should look at the other tapes then." He suggests as he looks through a box labeled 'torture chambers'.

"I'm not so sure I want to just yet." She tells him as he eyes the name wearingly. "Yeah, I know. Johnson was very tactful when I asked him to name the categories."

"Yeah, I gathered that." He says as he puts away a tape from the box again. "So, have you identified the guys who did this?"

"Yeah, we were right. Those four dead bodies we found, those are the guys who keep dragging kids in there." She says, pointing to the screen when they walk in once again with an unconscious child in their arms. She sighs as she watches the little girl holding a teddy bear in her arms. "God, Nathan. These kids, they came in looking so innocent and carefree. Just to think of how we found them…" She says as she sighs again.

"Hey, they important thing here is that we did find them." He tells her as he squeezes her shoulder. She smiles gratefully. "Uh, Luce?" She looks up at him. "Who's that?" She looks at the screen and her eyes widen. On the screen Carlos is being dragged off struggling and screaming in the arms of a broad shouldered man. One they haven't seen before…

**A/N Yes, more progress Sorry, maybe Carlos is moving a little too fast now. But there is so much more to come. **

**And who was that man? **

**Thank you all again for all the reviews. This is really becoming one of my favorite stories to write, because Carlos is so sweet **

**Anyway, hope you liked this chapter and again thank you so much for the support! Until next time, Love Baxxie**


	17. Chapter 17 Lullaby

Chapter 17 Lullaby

It's been about a week since Carlos first came down for breakfast and he had his Logan moment. He is still coming down for breakfast every day now and dinner, too. But other than that, no changes have occurred.

The guys can't help but feel disappointed at this. After seeing him make so much progress in the course of days, they had hoped this would continue. But unfortunately, it didn't. So now they just sit and have breakfast and dinner with Carlos, while he just looks at his food in silence.

After finishing another uncomfortable breakfast dinner, Kendall sighs as their young friend retreats up the stairs.

"God, I am so tired of this. Why can't he just talk to us now?" he whines.

"Kendall, you know it can't go as fast as we want it. We need to be patient." Logan assures him.

"yeah, but he already talked to you. Why can't he do the same with us?" Kendall asks. Mrs. Knight walks up to him and gently rubs his back.

"He'll come back to us eventually, honey. Just give him some time. He has already made so much progress we never thought he would, I'm sure we can wait a little while longer for him to open up further." She kisses the top of his head and he gives her a small smile.

"You're right, mom. I'm sorry, I just hoped he would do something, anything by now. Even during dinner he just looks at his hands the whole time."

"Sweetie. You really think he's only looking at his hands?" Mrs. Knight asks him with a baffled smile. He looks up with a frown. "That is so sweet. Honey, while you guys have small talk and laugh with each other, he listens and he does watch you. You just don't notice because you're busy having fun together, but he does pay attention. And sometimes, I think he smiles just a little."

The guys look at her with wide eyes.

"He does that?" Kendall asks her. She nods, making them all smile warmly.

"Wow. Thanks, mom. You really brightened up my day." Kendall tells her as he affectionately kisses her cheek.

"Don't thank me, just telling you what I saw." She waves them off.

"Hey, lets go play hockey." James suddenly announces. The others stare at him with raised eyebrows and an amused smile. "What?"

"We haven't played hockey in like forever." Kendall states.

"Yeah, I know. Which is why I suggested it." James explains. They still stare at him in disbelief. "What, what is it?"

"I just don't… Where is this coming from?" Logan asks.

"I don't know. I'm just in a good mood I guess. Maybe it's the way Carlos has been improving, you know. I'm just feeling more like myself again."

"Even without you're lucky comb?" Kendall teases. James rolls his eyes.

"No, I am still upset about that." They chuckle. "But I guess I'm not going to need good hair when I'm wearing a helmet." They shake their heads while they continue to chuckle. James playfully shoves his friends. "Oh, shut up."

"Hey. You think Carlos might go with us if we ask him?" Kendall suddenly suggests as they head for the stairs. The other two stop walking and look at him with incredulous looks. "I'm just thinking, maybe it'll bring him out of his shell more. I mean, he used to love hockey."

"Kendall, it took like two weeks to get him to come to eat with us. Inside the house. I really don't think he's going to want to come outside, even it is hockey." Logan reminds him.

"Yeah, I know. But I just thought, maybe it'll make him happy. We could even give him his skates to wear. He wouldn't have to play of course, but maybe just having those skates on will bring back memories of the good times, you know.." Kendall softly tells them as he looks at his feet.

"Kendall, I know what you want to do and I think it's a really nice thought. But I honestly don't think it's the time yet. Maybe later when he's less nervous to be around us. Sorry, buddy." Logan tells him and gently squeezes his shoulder.

"Yeah, it's uh… I'm sorry, it was a stupid idea… I just…" he mumbles.

"No, Kendall. It wasn't stupid at all. In fact, I think we should give him with skates anyway, even if we don't bring him with us. And maybe his roller blades, too." James suggests and hears Logan sigh beside him. "Just to see his reaction." He explains.

"Guys, I don't know about this. I mean, remember how he reacted towards the hockey stick Katie wanted to give him? Honestly, we don't know how he might react to this." Logan tells them.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to try, right?" James tells them and Kendall nods at once, while Logan still looks hesitant. "Come on, Logan. Where's your spirit?" James asks as he swats his friend's arm. Logan smiles a little.

"Alright, alright. I guess we can try." The other two friends pound fists with glee. Logan just smirks and shakes his head at the childlike sparkling eyes.

Moments later, the boys are dressed and getting their stuff together to go to the hockey rink.

"Come on, Kendall. I want to get there before others take the ice." James shouts from downstairs as Kendall rushes through his room.

"Hold on, man. I'm trying to find my jersey."

"Just grab another one. I don't want to share!" James shouts again. Kendall sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Where is it?" he says to himself as he tries to find his favorite hockey jersey. He has already gone through his entire closet and looked through all his stuff, but it seems to have disappeared.

"Kendall, come on!" Logan's voice now adds to James whining and Kendall groans.

"Alright, alright!" he grumbles to himself while he grabs an old jersey he never wears and heads downstairs.

"Finally." James huffs and Kendall shoots him a look. "Let's go."

"Wait." James groans and turns back to Kendall again, looking very annoyed and impatient. "We almost forgot these." He says as he pulls a pair of ice skates out of his bag.

"Oh, right. We should head upstairs and give them to him." James says, but Logan stops him.

"Uh, I don't think you have to." He says, while looking at something in the living room.

James follows his look and smiles as he sees a black helmet quickly ducking over the edge of the couch. He looks at Logan in disbelief.

"He was watching us." Logan says, his eyes still on the couch. Kendall looks at the skates in his hands and moves a little towards the couch.

"Uh, these are yours. I know you probably don't want to come with us to play some hockey. But I just wanted to give them back to you. You know, in case some day, hopefully, you'll remember how much you used to love ice hockey. And how good you were. Are. Well, you know what I mean. I uh, I'll just put them down here. So, if you want to see if they still fit or something, they're right here." Kendall explains as he carefully puts the skates down on the floor next to the dining table.

He walks back to the other guys and finds them smiling again. He looks back and catches Carlos curiously peering over the edge of the couch at the skates on the floor. He looks up and as soon as he meets the eyes of his friends, he quickly ducks down again.

Kendall smiles and shakes his head. "Come on. Let's go play some hockey." He tells his friends, who are both also smiling and chuckling in some shock as they head out the door.

As they head for the rink, they don't see the figure curiously peeking over the couch. He looks around once more, before actually getting up from the couch and slowly heading towards the skates. He hesitantly touches them and moves back when he hears a sound. He looks around again and when he finds no one, he carefully grabs the items and takes them away.

It's late in the afternoon and while the guys are still at the rink and Carlos has gone upstairs again, Katie and Mrs. Knight are downstairs watching TV. Well, Katie is watching TV, while Mrs. Knight is reading and sometimes zapping the channel when Katie again puts on the Crime Investigation Network.

Mrs. Knight sighs loudly when she changes it again.

"What?" Katie asks with exasperation. Her mother just shoots her a look. "Ugh, fine." She waves up her arms and changes back the channel to Fox Life. Her mother smiles in approval.

She goes back to reading, when the doorbell rings. Jennifer Knight shoots her daughter a questioning look, but she just shrugs in return.

Jennifer gets up and Katie doesn't hesitate to change the channel again. Jennifer wants to turn around to say something, but decides not to when the bell is rung even longer.

She hurries to the door and opens it with a smile. It fades slightly when she sees an unknown woman with a baby on her hip.

"Hi. I am so sorry to disturb you. I'm Melanie Bridges, I just moved in next door." She announces as she holds out her hand.

Jennifer frowns a little, but shakes it anyway. "Jennifer Knight. Uh, may I ask, what do you mean with next door, because this isn't really a neighborhood. I haven't really seen any houses nearby."

"Yeah, no, you're right. But I live in the closest house to this one and I saw this one as I was driving past it on my way home. And… god, I feel so embarrassed about this." She looks ashamed and Jennifer feels sympathy for the woman who bounces the baby on her hip. The baby shows signs of having been crying a lot and seems no more than four, maybe five months old.

"No, it's fine. Are you okay?" She asks with genuine concern. The woman looks very tired, but manages a small smile.

"Yeah, I just. I'm sorry…" She says and stops herself. "It's just… I just got called in to work and I tried to say no, but my boss threatened to fire me if I didn't come in and I can't find a babysitter and this I the only house even remotely in the area and I just though… oh god, this is so stupid. You know, what? I just heard what I'm saying and this was a bad idea. I'm sorry for taking up your time." She almost leaves, but Jennifer stops her.

"No, it's okay. You're here to ask if we want to babysit, right?" She asks with a warm smile.

"I… yes, I am. I'm sorry, you don't even know me and I'm sure you think I'm totally insane…"

"I'd love to." Jennifer tells her and the woman stares at her in surprise.

"You would?"

"Yes, I may not know you, but I'm a mother myself and believe me, I know what it's like." She smiles understandingly. The mother starts to cry a little, before pulling Jennifer in a gentle hug.

"Oh, thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me." She sniffles and Jennifer just keeps smiling.

"It's my pleasure." Melanie hands her the baby and Jennifer sends the little one a small smile. "her name's Lucy. She's four months old. I'll be working until about eight, so you won't have to watch her for long."

"Tell you what. If everything goes well, why don't you let her stay here for the night and you ick her up in the morning." The woman looks confused. "You really look like you could use a good night sleep." Jennifer offers. The woman smiles.

"Oh my god, I really do. Oh wow, I just feel like crying again. I just… wow. I really owe you so much right now. I can't even…"

"It's okay, really. Now you just go to work and we'll make sure she has the best time." Jennifer says as she makes the baby smile.

"Alright. Thank you so much, Jennifer, right?" Jennifer nods. "Okay, mommy has to go now, sweetie. But I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. Oh, it feels so weird saying that. I have hardly spent one hour away from her. But I really do need some sleep. Don't worry, tomorrow I'll have a new babysitter, a permanent one, I hope."

"It's fine. Now go." The woman kisses her daughter in the forehead another time before giving Jennifer the baby's bag with all her stuff and explaining what she needs. Jennifer just nods at all the instructions and takes the bag and the mother's card with her phone number. As the woman finally leaves, Jennifer closes the door and puts the bag down before heading back to Katie.

The girl looks up for a moment and back at the TV. Then, she mutes the TV and looks at her mom and the baby on her hip in shock.

"Uh, mom. Please tell me you did not seriously just offer to watch a baby for a whole night." She asks in disbelief.

"Oh come on. Just look at her. This will be fun." Jennifer says as she makes a goofy face at the baby. Katie just watches her in disgust.

"Mom, babies cry, remember? You haven't taken care of a baby for 14 years." She reminds her mom, but she just keeps smiling like she doesn't even hear her daughter. "Are you even listening?" Her mom makes funny noises and chuckles as the baby giggles slightly. "Unbelievable." She throws her hands up and walks away just as the baby starts to cry loudly.

"Aw, what's the matter?" Is all she can hear as her mother tries to soothe the little girl.

_Two hours later…_

"Mom, why won't she stop crying?" Katie yells with her hands over her ears as the baby's earth shattering wail have taken over the house.

Jennifer walks through the house, bouncing the baby on her hip as she tries to make soothing noises. She already looks exhausted as she walks around.

"I don't know, Katie. I've already tried everything." Jennifer tells her and lets out a deep breath. "I'm sorry, this is just, really frustrating." She says as she bounces the baby again.

When the front door opens and the boys come waltzing through, Jennifer lets out a relieved sigh.

"What's going on here?" Kendall asks.

"Is that a baby?" Logan asks, pointing at the baby in confusion.

"Why are you holding a baby?" James suddenly asks as well. Jennifer rolls her eyes and in one moment she hands Kendall the baby.

"Your turn to calm it down. Good luck, I'm taking a shower." She announces and heads out of the room. Kendall looks from the baby to his retreating mom with confusion. He looks at his friends, but they just shrug.

He as well tries to bounce her, but again, no luck. The baby just keeps crying. James has tried as well, holding toys in front of her. Logan has tried to make funny faces, but nothing is working. Katie has put on some earmuffs, but even they don't work as she holds her hands over them to try and drown out the noise.

"When is she going to stop?" Just as she shouts this, the baby finally starts to calm down. Kendall looks down and sees Logan is holding a bottle for her.

"Please don't tell me that was it. She was just hungry?" Kendall exclaims in annoyance, but as quiet as possible.

"No, dude. Mom tried that in the beginning, she wouldn't take it. I guess she's been screaming for so long, now she did get hungry." Katie exclaims in anger as she finally pulls off the earmuffs.

"God, I thought she'd never stop." Jennifer suddenly exclaims as she comes back down and takes the baby back from Kendall's arms. "Thanks, honey."

"Yeah, you're welcome." Kendall says with a somewhat questioning glance as his mother doesn't even acknowledge anyone else in the room.

"hey, Kendall." Logan calls out from the dining area. Kendall looks up and heads over to his friends.

"What? What is it?" He asks them as they stare at the ground.

"Dude, the skates are gone." James tells him with a smile. He looks down himself and finds the skates indeed to be gone.

"You think he actually took them?" he asks his friends, but has a smile on his own face.

His friends shrug, but all three share some happiness.

"Hey mom, should we order some.." Kendall shouts.

"Shh!" She whispers to them, making all three friends stop dead in their tracks. They look and see the baby now actually sleeping in her arms.

"What the? But she was just drinking from her bottle. How is she already asleep?" Logan whispers.

"I guess al that crying really tired her out." Jennifer tells him as she rocks the baby in her arms. "I'm going to lie her down on my bed. Why don't you boys order some pizza." She offers as she quietly heads up the stairs.

When she comes back down, the boys are sitting on the couch watching TV already. "Pizza will be here in 20 minutes." James tells her.

She nods and puts an old baby monitor on a side table next to the couch.

"Where did you get that?" Kendall asks her as they all look at it.

"I actually found it in some old boxes with baby stuff from you and Katie. I wasn't even sure I kept these; I was just looking for Katie's blanket. But I found these instead. It's good, now we can make sure she's alright." He nods and they turn their attention to the TV again.

An hour later, five very stuffed figures sit on the couch with empty pizza boxes on the table.

They groan as all of them have eaten way too much. But Katie can't help but stare at the still unopened box left.

"Katie, I'm sure he's just not that hungry." Mrs. Knight assures her daughter as she catches her glancing at the stairs again. Katie just sighs.

"But he's been eating with us for a whole week now. Why would he stay upstairs again?" She asks and her mother softly rubs a hand over back.

"He'll be okay. I'm sure he has his reasons. Maybe today is just not a good day for him." She says softly as she brushes a stranded hair out of her daughter's face. Katie just nods solemnly.

"I can't believe the same baby that was nearly shattering all of our ear drums earlier is now so quiet." James announces and as soon as the worlds leave his mouth, a familiar sound is heard.

"James…" Kendall whines.

"What? Oh, like I started it." He exclaims, crossing his arms over his chest.

As the soft wail slowly builds up to the same shattering cry, everyone groans.

"Oh come on… Doesn't she get the concept of needing 8 hours of sleep?" James exclaims and the others raise their eyebrows and shake their heads.

Jennifer sighs. "Oh, I can't do this again. Why did I agree to do this?" She says as she puts a pillow over her head.

"Okay, who's going to calm her down now?" Katie asks, standing up on the couch.

"James, I say it's your turn." Kendall states.

"What? Me? Why me? I don't know anything about kids. I think Logan should go." James explains.

"Why should I go?" he asks.

"Hey, you're the smart one, I'm sure you'll think of a way to calm her down." James replies.

"That doesn't make any sense." Logan tells him.

"Makes sense to me." Kendall agrees and James grins.

"What? Oh, for gods sake. Fine, I'll go." Logan announces as he starts towards the stairs. But before he can climb one step, a small sound interrupts everyone. They stare at the baby monitor in confusion and Logan steps back into the room.

The baby's cries suddenly start to go softer.

"Is that humming?" Logan asks as they strain their ears to hear the sound. As the baby's cries die down they recognize indeed a strange humming sound.

"What is that?" Kendall asks and Jennifer ups the volume on the monitor. As she does, the sound becomes a whole lot clearer.

"Oh my god…" James exclaims and they all sit back as the listen. "That's Carlos…" He says in awe. The others sit and listen in slight shock as Carlos hums a soft melody to the baby.

"You know, it sounds so familiar…" Kendall whispers with a small smile.

"yeah, it really does." Logan says in agreement.

"Oh my god, guys…" Katie suddenly exclaims. They look at her in confusion. "That's your song. That's Worldwide!" She says with a big smile.

They exchange looks and listen again. Sure enough they can now recognize the soft tunes of their song Worlwide.

"I can't believe this…" Logan whispers. "he's humming our song…" He says, not able to stop tears from springing into his eyes.

"Guys, listen…" Kendall suddenly says, shushing his friend immediately. They all sit to listen again and suddenly their mouths fall open in shock.

"Oh I never…never…" A soft voice starts to sound through the speaker. "Soon we'll be together… Paris, London, Tokyo, It's just one thing that I gotta do… Hello, tuck you in every night on the phone… Hello, tuck you in every night on the phone… And I can hardly take another goodbye… Baby, won't be long… You're the one that I'm waiting on… Hello, tuck you in every night on the phone, yeah… Girl, I'll be thinking about you worldwide, worldwide, worldwide… Girl, I'll be thinking about you worldwide, worldwide, worldwide…Girl, I'll be thinking about you"

They can't help but let tears fall down their faces as they listen to the soft singing of their friend. Even though he's only doing it because he thinks the others can't hear him, they never thought it would happen. Right now, this is the most beautiful moment that has ever happened.

"Whoa, wherever the wind blows me…You're still the one and only girl on my mind…" Then everything slowly gets quiet. Logan is the first to sniffle out loud. When Mrs. Knight sees it, she is quick to pull him into a hug. He just smiles and cries along with her. Even Katie cries softly, but laughs through her tears. Kendall wipes his eyes, while James looks away from them.

"James, it's okay. We're all crying." He whispers.

"I'm not crying. I've got something in my eye." He exclaims. Kendall chuckles.

"Oh, come here, pretty boy." He says playfully before pulling the tall brown-haired man into his arms and hugging him tightly as he cries.

"I just can't believe it. He was actually singing." Logan says as the others nod with a smile of their own and sniffling to follow it.

They all sit there in awe and quietly watch some more TV, until it's time to head for bed. They head upstairs and as they say their goodnights, Mrs. Knight heads to her room as they head to theirs.

As she opens her door, the sight she is met with brings back the tears all together. Katie has noticed she stopped in the doorway and quickly comes up behind her. She gasps and quickly gets her brothers.

Pretty soon they all stand in the doorway as they watch the little girl peacefully sleeping on the chest of her loving sound asleep, protector, Carlos.

**A/N Aww, so my favorite chapter so far. Maybe even a little too soon with the singing. But I loved it so much, I couldn't wait. **

**Bet you didn't think that would happen, did you? Now what will happen next, hm… I'll leave that up to you ;) **

**I hope you liked that Thank you for all the support on this story. I love writing this story still, just because I love coming up with fluffy Carlos moments. He's so loveable **

**And it's all I've got to with until a new episode comes out. When is that happening, anyway? Taking so long…**

**Anyway, thank you all so much again, I appreciate every single review **

**So until next time, Love, Baxxie**


	18. Chapter 18 Progress

Chapter 18 Progress

Mrs. Knight ended up sleeping in Katie's room that night. The moment she wakes up she is aware of the silence in the house and the empty spot next to her. She jumps up with wide eyes and sprints towards her own bedroom. She gasps when she finds her bed empty and made.

She runs through the hall and down the stairs, already panicking. Where was the baby and where was Carlos? Why was it so quiet?

But she stops dead in her tracks when she finds her small family sitting around the dinner table in silence. Katie throws her a smile and silently motions towards her left. Jennifer looks in amazement at Carlos still holding the baby in his arms. The little girl looks completely content with one finger in her mouth and her eyes curiously staring at everything going on around her.

"Hey, mom." Kendall tells her suddenly, kissing her on the cheek while he walks towards the table and puts down an extra plate.

"Good morning, Mrs. Knight. You want some pancakes?" Logan asks her. She turns around in still slight shock at her other two 'sons' standing at the stove. James is squeezing out fresh orange juice while Logan is throwing pancakes into the air and letting them drop back into the frying pan.

"What is all of this?" She quietly asks when she finally finds her voice.

Kendall shrugs with a smile. "We just wanted to make breakfast for a change. We didn't wake you, did we? Because we tried to be extra quiet." She shakes her head, while swallowing the lump in her throat.

"Good. So, sit down." He tells her and playfully shoves her towards the table. She looks around in wonder at these actions. Katie shoots her a smile.

"I know, it's weird, right? I didn't even know Logan could cook." She grins. Jennifer smiles and shoots another look towards Carlos, who gently bounces the baby in his lap, making her giggle slightly.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Kendall whispers in her ear all of a sudden. "We came down here and he was already sitting there, giving her a bottle." He tells her and she looks up in disbelief. "So weird the kind of effect that baby has on him. Maybe we should keep her or adopt. It could help." Jennifer playfully swats her son and he walks away chuckling.

She watches the baby, completely shocked that this is the same baby handed to her just yesterday. She always knew Carlos was good with children, but this was just… She didn't have a word for it. The baby looked so content in his arms, so calm, peaceful. It seemed he radiated something, a certain warmth. He had always been good with giving people hugs to make them feel better. He could make you feel so much better in a matter of seconds.

She hadn't been surprised to hear how he had sung to those children when they were taken. How he had tried everything to keep them from getting hurt and had tried to cheer them up. When he came back to them, she thought he would never be capable of doing that again. With the way he shied away from all of them when they tried to get too close, she knew it would be a long process. But sitting here, she had to admit; step-by-step the real Carlos was revealing himself to them again. He was still in there and even though he was still a scared little boy, the young adult was trying hard to climb back out.

"Mom?" She snaps out of her thoughts and looks up to find everyone staring at her in concern.

"Hm? Oh, sorry. I guess I got lost there for a moment." Kendall frowns at her, but smiles nonetheless.

"I asked if you want syrup on your pancakes." He repeats to her.

"Oh, uh, sure." She sends him a smile and he walks off with her plate.

About an hour and a half later everyone is done eating and getting dressed and ready for the day. James is in the upstairs bathroom, while Logan and Kendall are getting dressed.

Mrs. Knight and Katie are downstairs cleaning up, while Carlos is sitting on the couch with Lucy, silently watching TV.

When Logan finishes getting dressed, he starts to clean up his room a little. He never likes leaving a mess. As he puts a textbook back on his bookshelf he notices something odd. Right in the middle there is an empty spot. Right where his medical encyclopedia should be. He frowns and walks out of the room and straight into Kendall's. He scrunches up his nose at the pigsty he call's Kendall's room.

Kendall is in the middle of throwing clothes through his room, looking for something. Logan knocks on the open door, making Kendall look at him.

"You know, I'm not surprised you've lost something. I mean, how can you ever find anything in this mess?" He says with a raised eyebrow when he eyes an empty clothes hamper in the corner. "Why do you even have that in here? It's not like you ever use it."

Kendall rolls his eyes and goes back to throwing clothes through his room. "What are you looking for anyway?"

"My favorite hockey jersey. You know, the one from Minnesota Wild with my name on it?" Kendall explains, groaning as he again can't see it. "I can't find it anywhere."

"Weren't you looking for that yesterday, too?" Logan asks him.

"Yes, Logan, nice of you to pay attention."

"Well sorry." Logan huffs, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "You know, maybe the shirt got tired of all this mess and walked out." He jokes with a smile.

Kendall glares at him. "Why did you come in here, Logan?"

"Oh, right. I was cleaning my room. You know, that's when you actually pick stuff up from the floor instead of throwing them onto it." Kendall glares again. "Anyway. I was cleaning up some of my books and I noticed my medical encyclopedia is gone."

"What do you mean it's gone? That book is seriously big, how do you lose that?" Kendall asks him from the floor, now on his knees and looking through his closet.

"That's my point, I couldn't have lost it. I think somebody may have taken it." Logan states. Kendall sits on his knees for a moment and looks at Logan.

"Who would take your medical encyclopedia?" He asks with confusion.

"The same person who probably took your mom's favorite book, Katie's leather jacket, James' lucky comb and your favorite jersey." Logan answers after crossing his arms over his chest with a smile and a knowing look. Kendall frowns.

"I don't understand." He states.

"Let's just wait until James finishes his shower, I think I can show you."

"Speaking of the devil." Kendall smirks as he motions his head to the hallway. Logan turns around and is met with James, fully dressed and drying his hair with a towel.

"Hey guys, what's up?" He tells them with a smile, flipping his hair and checking himself in a handheld mirror with a smug smile.

Kendall and Logan smirk and shake their heads. Kendall stands up and walks towards his door.

"Dude, what happened to your room? Did you clean?" James suddenly asks as he eyes Kendall's room. Kendall shares a look with Logan, who shrugs in return.

"No, James. Logan here thinks he knows where all of our stuff went." Kendall tells his tall friend.

"What stuff?" James asks as he checks himself in the mirror again.

"My mom's book, Katie's leather jacket, my favorite jersey, Logan's medical encyclopedia and your lucky comb." James looks up with wide eyes.

"You know where my lucky comb is?" He says as he looks at Logan. "Tell me!" he yells dramatically, grabbing Logan's shirt. Logan raises his eyebrows and grabs James hands to put them down.

"Yes, I do. Now I'm not sure about this, but I can't find any other explanation, so follow me." He says as he walks out of the room and motions the other two to follow. They shoot each other a confused look, but both shrug as they follow Logan.

"Wait!" He says as he suddenly stops walking and holds one finger in the air. The other two eye him curiously. He turns towards them. "Is everyone still downstairs?" He asks.

"Uh, don't know. I'll check." Kendall says as he heads for the banister. He peers over it when the doorbell rings. He watches his mom open and sees a strange woman. "Yep, they're all busy. I think Lucy's mom's here though." He announces as he walks back towards his friends.

"Hm, that means we don't have a lot of time. Come on." Logan tells them as he starts to walk again. The two tall friends follow their brainiac to, Carlos' room?

"Uh, Logan, what are we doing here?" James asks, looking a little uneasy.

"Well, if I'm right, we should be able to find our stuff in here." He tells them and they both look even more confused. Logan steps inside and looks around.

"Logan, why would our stuff be in here?" Kendall asks as the other two follow inside. But Logan keeps walking around and then heads for the curtain under the bed. He shoves it aside slightly, getting on his knees and crawls inside halfway.

After a few seconds he crawls back out, a smile on his face.

"I was right." The other two look confused. He sighs. "Come take a look." He motions for them to come over and holds the curtain aside. They share a look, but walk over and get on their knees and under the curtain.

There underneath Carlos' bed they stare in amazement at all the items stored up.

Indeed there they see Jennifer Knight's favorite Fabio book, Katie's loved leather jacket, James' lucky comb, Logan's medical encyclopedia and Kendall jersey, which is folded underneath a pillow. There are pictures scattered around and even stuffed animals. All of the pictures are of the boys and Carlos when they were growing up.

"He's been gathering all this stuff all this time?" James says, breaking the shocked silence.

"Where did he even find these stuffed animals? This was mine when I was like 7." Kendall mentions as he holds a stuffed blue elephant.

"My guess is he wanted to have something to remind him of us. Meaning he actually misses us." Logan explains as he eyes a picture of the four of them completely drenched in James' pool when they were about 8. James holds a bucket, which he used to dump more water on Logan, who is screaming of the cold. Kendall is tickling Carlos, who is giggling full force as he tries to stop Kendall.

He smiles softly at the memory it brings up. Carlos was so happy then, so carefree.

"I just can't believe he's been hiding this all in here. I was so upset about losing my lucky comb, but now that I know where it is and why… I don't really feel the need for it anymore." James says with a smile. Kendall squeezes his shoulder.

"This is just so…" Kendall starts, but he stops midsentence with mouth agape. The other two stare at him in confusion.

"Kendall, what…" Logan starts to ask, but when he notices Kendall is staring at something behind him, he comes face to face with Carlos.

"Carlos, we were just… uh.." James tries, but he can't think of anything to say. He shoots Kendall a pleading look to come up with a plan. But Kendall looks just as lost at the somewhat hurt look in their friends' eyes. Just then, Carlos turns around to walk away.

"No, Carlos, wait!" Logan shouts as he scrambles to his feet, but Carlos is already out the door. He stands and leans his arm on a wall to his right. He closes his eyes for a moment, dropping his head. "God, that was so stupid! I can't believe we did that…" He mumbles. "Stupid, stupid… he was just starting to trust us…"

The other two look confused and get up from under the bed, walking up to Logan.

"Logan, what are you talking about? What was stupid?" James asks him, Kendall nodding in agreement; just as curious to find out what just happened.

"Don't you guys see? He gathered all that stuff in there to be close to us, he feels safe in there. Well, felt safe. Now we ruined it." He explains, but the guys look more confused. "Guys, this is the place he spends all his time in. He surrounded himself with our things to feel safe, to be able to sleep, I'm guessing. But we just barged in here and touched everything. This is his private secret place. A place he can hide in when he feels bad. W shouldn't have come in here, now that he knows we know about it, he'll never feel safe again. He'll think we'll just step in whenever we want now." Logan rambles.

"But we won't do that. We'll leave him alone." Kendall tells him.

"I know that, but he doesn't. He doesn't trust us, remember? At least not fully and now we're probably back to square one." He rubs a hand over his face. "I should have known this was a bad idea. How could I not see this coming?"

"Logan, calm down. You're not making any sense anymore." Kendall tells him as he puts a hand on his shoulder. "Look, let's just go downstairs. Maybe it won't be so bad. Who knows, maybe now that he knows we know where our stuff went, he'll feel more comfortable around us. Especially when we leave it all here."

Logan looks at him and Kendall can clearly see he doesn't believe him.

"Come on, let's go play some video games." Kendall offers with a smile. Logan doesn't smile back, but he nods slightly. Kendall puts his arm around his and James' shoulder and leads them downstairs. In their passing, they don't notice the pair of eyes watching them from the bathroom.

Half an hour later the three 'young men' are sitting on the couch, shouting in an active game of Zombie Wars 3 (a/n don't know if it exists, but it does now).

"Oh, I totally shot you!" Logan shouts as he watches one of James' men go down.

"Dude!" James shouts back with a scowl. "You're supposed to shoot the zombies!"

"I know. But this is more fun!" Logan tells him with a smirk as he tries to go after another one of James' men.

Katie is sitting on the ground in front of the couch, pouting slightly that she couldn't play. But she's soon rooting for Logan as he tries to kill off both James and Kendall, making the game much more fun to watch.

Mrs. Knight is sitting at the dinner table, reading a book. She rolls her eyes once in a while at the 'maturity' the 18 year olds are displaying. But she can't help but smirk as well. She eyes them from the table ever so often and when she looks over again, her eyes widen a little. She watches as Carlos shuffles into the room as quiet as ever.

Thankfully she's used to it by now, or he would have had her jump every time. He was so quiet every single time as he walked into a room, no one would notice until he was already in front of them. But now she watches as he quietly walks over to the couch, where the boys are shouting still.

"Boys? Boys!" She shouts, but they hardly hear her. Katie hears her though and she looks up, following her gaze. When she sees Carlos, she immediately tries to get the boys to notice as well.

"Guys. Guys!" She shouts.

"Oh, foul, foul!" James shouts as he points at the screen.

"James, you can't make any fouls in this game. If I wasn't allowed to shoot anyone other than zombies, why would I be able to shoot you as well?" Logan answers smugly, yelling in victory when he shoots James' last man standing.

"Dude, that was totally uncalled for!" James shouts, turning his head towards Logan, when he notices another figure next to the couch. He stops talking and just eyes Carlos standing there, fumbling with his shirt.

"Hahaha, this is the best game ever!" Logan shouts while laughing out loud.

"Hey Carlos." James calmly says with a small smile, making Logan and Kendall stop the game and turn around as well. They watch Carlos become more nervous when he realizes they're all watching him. He bites his lip, but then stretches his trembling hands out to James. James watches with wide eyes at the comb in his hands.

He looks at the other guys, who motion for him to take it. He gently reaches out and grabs the comb, making sure he touches the boys' hands while he does. Carlos flinches ever so slightly, but the doesn't move away. Nor does he look into his eyes.

"Uh, thanks Carlos. You didn't have to give this back, though. You can keep it if you want." He smiles. "Or do you think I need it?" He adds, suddenly looking a little worried. Carlos doesn't respond, but he does look up at James for a moment, before looking away again. "Oh my god, you do. How bad is it?" He whispers in shock and lifts his hands to his hair, feeling around for anything to be out of place.

Suddenly no longer trusting it, he leaps off of the couch and heads upstairs to look in the mirror.

The others stare after him in confusion, not understanding why Carlos would give him the comb. He didn't just want to give it back, because then where was their stuff? Suddenly Katie notices something.

"Oh my god… he's smiling." She says, a small smile forming on her own lips. The others follow her gaze and catch the upper corners of Carlos' lips turned upwards. "You did it on purpose.." She realizes. The others frown in confusion.

"Guys, he gave James the comb, because he knew how he would react. He just wanted to mess with him. He's playing a joke on him.." Katie tells them with an excited look. Kendall and Logan share a weary look. But when they look closer they too recognize an old familiar looking smile on Carlos' face. A smile of mischief, one he used very often before, usually during a prank.

They start to smile as they hear James cursing and shouting upstairs. He comes running down furiously.

"I looked in the mirror and my hair is perfect. There is nothing wrong with it!" He looks around and notices all the excited faces. "What? Why are you so happy?"

"Dude, you are so predictable." Kendall tells him, clapping his shoulder with his right hand. James shoots him a confused look. "Carlos was just messing with you."

James stands silent for a moment, staring at Carlos. "You did that on purpose?" He just sees Carlos' grin growing and tries hard not to let a smile of his own through. "Well that just hurts. I mean, I can't believe you would turn on your partner in crime like that." He says as he fakes a sniffle, putting his nose in the air. "I mean, if you really wanted to play a prank on someone, you would just dump this smoothie on Kendall." He announces as he suddenly pulls a smoothie out of thin air and dumps it on Kendall's head.

Kendall's mouth forms a silent 'oh' as the smoothie drips down his face. The others snicker and even Carlos stares with slight amusement shining in his eyes.

Kendall lifts his hands and brushes off some smoothie, sending a glare towards James. He just grins.

"What's wrong, Kendall? I thought you liked pink smoothies." He tells him and shrieks when Kendall throws himself off of the couch and lunges for James. But James has already run out of the way.

Jennifer Knight rolls her eyes in amusement and quickly heads out of the kitchen when the boys run over. James is on one end of the table while Kendall stands at the other.

"What's the matter James? You look scared." Kendall says with an evil grin.

"I am not scared. Because I know you'll never catch me. I have longer legs." He says with a wink. Kendall scowls and reaches for James again, but he just runs off again.

Just then, Kendall eyes a bowl on the table. He starts to grin widely as James' grin fades. "Oh Jamie?" He calls out in a singsong voice. "Catch." He says before dipping his hand inside the bowl and flinging something towards James.

James has just enough time to duck with a loud girlish shriek. When he looks back up, he sees the chocolate pudding dripping down the kitchen cabinet behind him.

"Dude, you threw pudding at me." He exclaims. "More importantly, there is a whole bowl of pudding on the dinner table and we didn't know about it?" Kendall just grins and grabs the bowl in his arms, dipping his hand in again. He slowly starts to walk around the table, while James walks backwards the other way.

"Mmm, you should taste it James. It's really good." Kendall tells him with an evil glint in his eyes after putting one finger in his mouth and putting his hand in the bowl.

"You know what, I'm not really in the mood for pudding." James says with a nervous laugh.

"That fully white V-neck says you are." Kendall retorts.

"Kendall, you wouldn't dare. This is my lucky V-neck, you know that!" James shouts, but Kendall keeps walking. "Kendall, please. Those kind of stains will never come out, so do.." He ducks again as Kendall flings pudding towards him.

A loud shout behind him makes James and Kendall both snicker. They look and see Logan now with pudding sliding down his face.

"Oh, this means war!" He shouts and runs over to the kitchen. Katie goes to stand on top of the couch.

"Food fight!" She yells, pounding her fist into the air. Jennifer Knight's mouth opens in shock.

"Katie!" She shouts and pulls her daughter off of the couch. They duck onto the floor. She scowls at her, but Katie just shrugs.

"Oh come on, mom. He's having fun." She says and motions to someone beside the couch. Jennifer looks up to see Carlos staring wide-eyed at the commotion going on inside the kitchen. A small smile is on his face and every time food hits someone, it seems to grow. Jennifer shakes her head in amusement and decides not to stop anyone.

Kendall is still flinging the pudding at the other guys, while James crawls onto the floor while he tries to find other food to throw. Logan has gone straight for the line of fire while he opens the cabinets in search of a weapon of his own.

"Aha!" He suddenly shouts as he finds something. He closes the cabinet again, his shirt already covered in pudding, his eyes wild. Kendall grins when he sees the 'weapon' in Logan's hands. A full bag of flour is being pulled open right away. "Now I've got you." He announces and starts to walk towards Kendall in a menacing way.

"Oh yeah, take this!" Kendall shouts as he throws pudding towards Logan. Suddenly both guys yell when they are hit by… grapes? "Dude, why are you throwing grapes?" Kendall asks James with a chuckle, as he eyes them from behind a tray, while throwing grapes at both Kendall and Logan.

"Hey, it's all I could find, alright?" James argues and both guys now target James as well again. Pudding, grapes and flour are thrown through the air, some missing and some hitting the intended targets.

James is just about to move back when his grapes are almost gone, when Logan grabs a handful of flour.

"What's the matter James? No more ammo?" He asks as he slowly walks forward.

"Now Logan, we can talk about this. I mean, we're friends, right?" James laughs nervously, while Logan grins. Kendall soon joins him. "Oh, you're ganging up on me now? Oh that is just great. And here I thought we were all friends." The guys share an amused look.

"Ready?" Kendall asks quietly and Logan nods. "Now!"

They both throw flour and pudding through the air, just as James ducks. They watch as if in slow motion how both substances hit… Carlos. Straight in his face.

Their eyes widen and they gasp. Nobody says a word for a while. Carlos stands in front of them, face covered in flour and chocolate pudding dripping from his hair. His eyes are squeezed shut and his mouth is tightly closed. He coughs suddenly and they wince as they see the flour escaping his mouth. He coughs again and dips his head down.

"Carlos, I am so sorry… " Kendall starts as he reaches out for him. But Logan stops him when Carlos suddenly lifts a hand towards his face. He rubs some flower and pudding from his eyes and flings it away. Then he brings his now pudding covered hand towards his mouth and tastes it.

Everyone watches in silence as Carlos slowly smiles.

"It's good, right? I told you it was, James." Kendall mentions with a huge smile, breaking the silence. Then Carlos starts to slowly walk past them. They frown and watch him. The guys share a look.

"Uh, Carlos? Where are you going?" Logan asks.

"What is he doing?" James quietly asks, the other two just shrug. They watch him walk into the kitchen and towards the faucet. They curiously try to peek at what he's doing, but can't see it.

This is how they never see the next part coming. All three boys yell out when they are suddenly struck by freezing cold water. They have closed their eyes at once and when they open them, they find Carlos smirking with the faucet water hose in his hands.

They all grin immediately, not wanting to ruin the moment by standing still at this huge breakthrough.

"Oh, you did not just do that!" Kendall yells and the food fight starts again. This time between all four guys.

Katie and Jennifer Knight cheer them on from behind the couch, tears in their eyes from the so familiar looking display they thought they'd never get to see again.

James shrieks again as all three other boys target him, completely ruining his lucky white V-neck. He wants to yell in anger, but a single sound makes him change his mind. A loud giggle suddenly seems to erupt inside the kitchen. He looks up in a daze, not even ducking at the flour and pudding thrown his way.

The other two stop in confusion when James doesn't fight back. They go to ask what's going on, when they too hear the sound. They look at the counter and watch as Carlos stands there, holding the faucet hose in his hands, completely covered in pudding and flour and giggling like a small child.

It brings tears to their eyes and they can't help but start to laugh right along with him. It's so infectious, they can't help themselves. That sound is the sweetest thing they have ever heard. Soon everyone is laughing with tears rolling down their faces, holding their stomachs from the pain.

An hour later after all laughter has subdued, Jennifer Knight has ordered all four boys to clean up the kitchen and themselves. She herself tries to recover from the shock at what just happened. She heads upstairs to put away her book and when she comes back down, the kitchen is clean and three boys are lying on the couch, watching TV. They look exhausted, but completely content.

"Carlos didn't come back down?" She asks them and they all shake their heads with some sadness. She sighs and is about to walk back into the kitchen when she sees a familiar figure shuffling over to the couch.

He seems nervous as he stops to stand beside the couch. He seems even smaller now; his helmet perched on top of his head, racecar pajamas on his body and a teddy bear that Katie once gave him, in his arms. His eyes look slightly frightened and she seems to recognize a small cry for help.

She feels dubious. She wants to hug him, just gather him up in her arms and soothe him, tell him everything will be okay. But she doesn't want to push him away. She needs to be patient, wait for him to come to her. So she just shoots the boys a look, before walking off towards the kitchen. All the while keeping a secret eye on the scene at the couch.

The three boys look up with a smile, but they fade when they see how scared Carlos looks. They share a quick look. What happened to the laughing teen they had the food fight with? He was hardly upstairs for half an hour. What could have possibly happened in that short mount of time? They watch as he tightly clutches the small teddy bear in his arms and he reminds them of the six-year-old version of him.

"Carlos, what's wrong, buddy? Did something happen?" Kendall asks immediately, his eyes filled with concern. Carlos looks nervous and the guys can tell immediately that he is feeling more and more anxious standing there.

"Uh, Carlos, you want to sit down?" James offers. Carlos looks like he can't decide. He eyes the couch, but then glances back up the stairs. "Come on, bud. We'll keep you safe." He says and pats a spot on the couch between himself and Logan. They watch, as Carlos seems to struggle with himself on what to do.

"It's okay, Carlitos. We're right here." Logan softly adds. Carlos blinks and makes a decision.

They watch in shock as he slowly moves to sit on the couch. But instead of going for the spot between James and Logan, he moves towards Kendall and sends an almost pleading look his way. Kendall quickly scrambles his legs off of the coffee table and moves aside to make room for the Latino. He shoots a look of disbelief towards his two friends as Carlos slowly goes to sit between him and James.

Logan looks slightly hurt for a moment, but then notices that Carlos tries very hard not to touch James either. He just leans in closer to Kendall, who looks a little helpless. Logan shoots him an assuring smile and motions for him to hold Carlos.

Kendall gulps and carefully moves his arm around Carlos. He can fee the boy stiffen immediately. But as quickly as he did, he loosens up and leans into Kendall. Kendall is still in slight shock, but he knows he needs to be strong right now. He just pulls the smaller boy against him, holding him, protecting him.

Within minutes he notices the small boy's breathing has slowed down. He looks and finds Carlos with his head on his chest, sleeping soundly. The other two guys watch in amazement, tears in their eyes to match his own. He gulps and smiles at them. He remembers it, too. This was what had always happened before, before Carlos was taken. Whenever he had had a nightmare or felt sad, he had always turned towards Kendall and fell asleep in his arms. Just like this. So much progress in one day… he knew Carlos was in there and slowly, but surely he was making his way back to the surface…

**A/N Wow, that took a long time to write. Sorry about that, guys! I love this story, but I've got so many story ideas in my head, I couldn't find the inspiration for this one. Besides that I've had a lot of stuff on my mind lately. But here it is, the new chapter **

**By the way, loved the WWDOP, go team blue! And how about the new episode? Loved the new song. Can't wait to fully hear it on the album. Also hope that the next episode won't take so long to air. Three weeks every single time is just too much. I don't have the patience for it ;)**

**And: the whole thing with 2 kool 2 spell kool right, that is just messed up! Why would someone do something like that? Just glad to hear she's okay **

**Thank you all for the support on this story, love all the reviews and how much you all love the fluffiness of Carlos in this one I am definitely considering doing requests for Carlos angst now. I already put one up for general angst and drama, but I have noticed I would much rather focus on Carlos angst/drama/whumpage. There's just not enough of it on here! And when it is, he acts like a child. Especially when he's sick. So, I want to write my own version of that. Let me know what you think of that!**

**Thanks again everyone, love you all, you keep me writing and your reviews often brighten up my day **

**Love, Baxxie**


	19. Chapter 19 Unknown

Chapter 19 Unknown…

Lucy Crimson sits in the same room she has gotten familiar with for weeks now. Her eyes are bloodshot and her hands shake as she downs another cup of coffee. She holds out her hand to start up the next tape.

Thousands of images have flashed her screen. More and more questions have risen in her mind. Who was the fifth man she saw hold onto a screaming Carlos a few weeks ago? She still hadn't come across him again. On one hand she wanted to start on the last batch of tapes, because she knew she'd knew he would on them. But honestly, she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle the gruesomeness she also knew would be on them.

She sighs as this is yet another tape of the children sitting in the locked room. Carlos sings to them, makes jokes, just to put a smile on the new faces. She watches him comfort the little crying ones. And when lights go out, he watches over them, staying awake until the sun comes back up.

She stares at the screen again and starts up the 'forward' button. She has used it so many times. She doesn't have a choice. They need answers. Her colleagues have already tried to analyze the tape with the unknown man. What if he was still alive? He could be out there, looking for the children.

But until they were sure, they couldn't put protection on the kids. No one would agree. Lucy had fought for them, but her boss wouldn't listen. He didn't want to waste valuable police hours on 'a possibility'.

So here she is again, locked inside a room, looking for anything that could tell her more. Some other colleagues were also looking through tapes. But she made sure not to give them everything. As hard as it would be, she wanted to be the one to look through the tapes that held the worst images. Not that she really wanted to, but she needed to. She had gotten to know these kids and she wanted to solve this case.

When she runs out of tape again after two hours, she realizes something. That was the last tape she had of the locked room. Her colleagues must have taken the others. That meant, only one box of tapes was left for her. She gulps as she eyes them.

She hesitantly gets up and grabs the heavy box, setting it down on the desk in front of her. She gulps down the last cup of coffee and grabs the first tape.

"Here goes nothing…"

Nathan Parker has known his partner to be stubborn. But he had never seen her this bad before. He felt worried as she locked herself inside the AV room once again. He tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't listen. So instead, he had managed to sneak out boxes with tapes, so other colleagues could take over. He tried to take the last box as well, but hadn't been able to. She shouldn't watch them. She had gotten so attached to these kids, he didn't think she'd be able to handle it.

And judging from her form suddenly throwing the door open and her throwing up in a trash can nearby confirms it. Screams suddenly filter through the station, Nathan can tell they come from the screen. He gives his partner a concerned look as he hurries towards the AV room. His eyes widen at the images shown on the screen. He soon realizes his partner didn't bother to look for the date on the tape. She couldn't have. Because if this was a tape from the first year these kids were taken… how did that kid manage to survive?

"_Oh come on now. If you just hold still, it won't hurt." The man laughs as tears run down the boys' face. _

"_Please don't…" He pleads softly. The man kneels in front of the boy as he sits chained to the chair. _

"_You know, you are so beautiful.." The man eerily whispers as he brushes a hand over the boys' swollen cheek. A whimper is heard and tears fall faster._

_Blood is already pouring out of the letter 'M' on his naked torso. _

"_I just want to make sure everyone knows who you belong to." The man says as he gets up and moves behind the boy. He leans down and breathes into his ear. "I love how you protect our other children. Like a big brother."_

"_They're not yours…" He cries out, gritting his teeth. Then the boy gasps and closes his eyes when a hand grabs his throat from behind. _

"_You know, it's very rude to interrupt when someone is trying to tell you how much they love you." The man quietly tells the boy. He takes his arm away and the boy gasps for oxygen. But his eyes widen quickly when another sensation is felt on his neck._

_He tugs on his restraints when he feels the lips moving across his collarbone softly. He sobs quietly._

"_Don't cry. You're too beautiful for that." The man tells him. "Now, where were we?" He smiles as he goes to kneel in front of the boy again. The knife glints on the camera screen and soon loud screaming is all that can be heard from the boy as blood spills to the floor…_

"_I can't believe you would do this. I have done nothing but show you how much I care. I even left alone all those other kids, because you asked me to. And you repay me by trying to escape?" Another hard slap is heard as the man's hand slams across the boys' cheek._

_The boy hisses, but refrains from crying out. He just stares ahead with a scowl on his face._

"_Why would you want to escape? I have given you everything." The man tells him as he leans down to his face._

"_I wasn't trying to escape." The boy quietly states. "I was trying to help them escape. They shouldn't be here." He angrily tells the man. The man narrows his eyes at him._

"_I have given those kids everything their parents couldn't. I have loved them, I have cared for them. They have everything they need here."_

"_No, they don't. They should be home, with their families." The boy argues._

"_They are home. And we are their new family. I'm their daddy, Molly is their new mommy and you are the big brother, who is mommy and daddy's favorite." The boy tries to back up when the man smiles widely and gets closer to him._

"_You are not my family…" He says back quietly._

"_Oh yes, you are. You are daddy's little favorite who just did a very bad thing." The man says as he walks in circles around the boy. He stops and leans down, putting his face right next to the boys'. "And bad boys need to be punished." _

_The boy tries to stare ahead, not caring about anything. But when he sees the Taser in the mirror in front of him, his eyes widen. The man sneers as he slowly walks towards the boy._

"_Now, this might sting a little." Again, screams are all that is heard for a long time…_

Kendall Knight dreams softly of a nice date with an unknown blond girl. He smiles in his sleep when he realizes it might be Jo. The girl he had had a crush on for so long when they lived at the Palm Woods. That was of course, until Carlos had gone missing. Everything changed then. But he still dreamed of her many times.

He laughs in his dream as the girl laughs with him. They are having a pick nick. She takes his hand and suddenly his body jolts. He looks confused when he starts to feel warm. Whimpering is heard. He looks around, but the girl in front of him is still smiling.

Suddenly a loud scream brings him back to reality. He opens his eyes and finds himself still lying on the couch of their new apartment. He looks around and sees Logan quietly snoring away on the floor. Kendall frowns. When did he land on the floor?

He looks to his left and sees James smiling away as he kisses the pillow in his arms. Kendall turns up his nose in disgust.

He turns to the front and is suddenly reminded of what woke him up in the first place. A soft whimpering noise comes from his arms. He looks down and there is Carlos, snuggled up against his chest. He smiles slightly, but it quickly dies when he notices the beads of sweat forming on Carlos' forehead. He is clenching his eyes shut and his hands are gripping Kendall's shirt tightly. He whimpers, as he seems to be having a nightmare.

"Carlos?" He whispers as he gently tries to wake up his friend. His whimpering just gets louder as he grips Kendall's shirt harder and starts to grab hold of his skin now. "ouch.. Carlos, come. Wake up, buddy." He whispers again.

He hears some shuffling beside him and looks up to find James sleepily staring at him.

"Dude, I just had the best dream ever…" he says with a dreamy smile. But when Carlos lets out another loud whimper, he sits up quickly and his eyes grow concerned. "What's going on?"

"I think he's having a nightmare." Kendall quietly tells him. Carlos tosses and turns in his arms. "Come on, buddy.."

James carefully gets up from the couch and frowns for a moment when he sees Logan sprawled out on th floor. He shakes his head and leans down.

"Logan?" He quietly says as he starts to shake his shoulder gently. "Logan, wake up." He quickly jumps up when Logan suddenly whacks him in the face. He grabs his cheek and looks at Kendall with an incredulous look.

Kendall just rolls his eyes and gestures to Carlos, who whimpers and moans in his sleep. Instead of holding onto Kendall, he suddenly lets go and starts to back up.

"Carlos, it's okay. Just wake up, no one is going to hurt you."

"Come on, Logan, just wake up." James says, getting irritated as Logan keeps lunging at him with his arms and legs. "Logan, for god's sake, Carlos needs us."

That seems to be the magic sentence as Logan sits up right away with wide eyes.

"What's going on? How badly is he hurt, do we need to call a doctor?" He rambles. James rolls hs eyes now as he puts his hands underneath Logan's arms.

"No, he's not hurt. He's having a nightmare." James tells him as he pulls him up.

"You woke me up for that?" Logan asks him. But when he sees Carlos cowering away from Kendall on the couch, he understands the concern. Kendall looks helpless as he tries to touch Carlos, but it seems to drive him further away.

"I've tried to wake him up, but he seems to be getting more and more upset." Kendall tells him. Logan walks closer towards Carlos and leans down a little.

"Carlos? Carlos, it's me, Logan. Kendall and James are here, too. You're safe with us. Carlos?" he holds out a hand and touches his shoulder.

"NO!" Carlos suddenly screams. His eyes fly open and the room is covered in silence. The guys look at him in shock. He breathes heavily and his whole body is trembling. His eyes show nothing else but pure fear.

No one knows what to say. It's been so long since he actually spoke.. Okay so maybe he screamed and last time he sang, but just to hear his voice is still so shocking every time.

"Carlos…" Kendall quietly starts with a smile, but Carlos just snaps his head in his direction and backs up into the couch. He whimpers when Kendall reaches out a hand. He nearly screams when Logan touches him.

"Carlos, it's okay. You're home, remember? You're safe. Nothing is going to happen to you." Kendall tells him as he slowly inches towards him.

A very loud knock on the front door sends him screaming. He jumps from the couch and runs up the stairs. The guys exchange concerned glances.

"I'll go…" Kendall says as he hurries up the stairs after his friend. Logan and James watch him sadly and head for the door.

They both frown when they see Detective Lucy Crimson and her partner Nathan Parker standing before them.

"I'm afraid we have some bad news." Lucy tells them. The boys exchange a look. This can't be good…

**A/N Hi! I am so sorry for the late update. I have been very busy with school and stressing out about it :P Plus, I lost some inspiration to write. But I had some suddenly, so here's my new chapter Sorry if it's a little shorter than usual.**

**I hope you like it and that it's not too confusing. If you have questions about it, let me know ;)**

**Thank you all for your support and I hope you'll review again, it really helps **

**Until next time people and how about that last episode I loved Carlos, finally he wasn't portrayed as dumb or not liked by girls. James was a jerk and carlos was so sweet to those girls. Logan was so nice and Kendall was just hilarious. All in all a really good episode Up to the next one, I'm guessing they are superheroes in this one. What do you think?**

**Love, Baxxie**


	20. Chapter 20 ID

Chapter 20 ID

As Kendall reaches the top of the stairs, he slows down while frantically searching for his young friend. He heard the cops standing on the other side of the door. But that's not important now.

"Carlos?" He calls out as he heads for his friend's room. When he doesn't see him in there, his heart starts to race. He frantically searches the other rooms. "Carlos?" He calls out again, sounding more panicked.

He runs across the hall, stopping at every door, when suddenly he catches something in the crook of his eye. He turns around and walks into James' room. He waves a hand across his nose to get rid of the Cuda smell that seems to linger in the room.

He keeps walking when he hears soft whimpering coming from the far side corner of the room. He can see something moving slightly next to the bed.

"Carlos?" he hesitantly asks. He carefully walks closer. He sighs when he recognizes his young friend huddled in the corner. He has his knees drawn up to his chest and is hugging them with his arms. He rocks back and forth while tears stream down his face and he silently sobs.

"Oh, buddy…" Kendall says as he comes closer. He wants to reach out to his friend, but he backs up the minute Kendall comes too close. Kendall holds up his hands in surrender and puts on a small smile.

"Okay. I won't touch you. I'll just sit right here next to you. Is that okay?" He gently asks as he slides down himself, also drawing up his knees, and casually lays his arms over them. He notices Carlos tense up when he scotches closer ever so slightly. But he doesn't back up anymore.

"I know you don't want to talk yet, so I'm just going to sit here, alright? Until you're ready." He says with an assuring smile. He doesn't expect a response, so he just leans his head against the wall and sits there. The only sound in the room is the soft whimpering of Carlos.

_Meanwhile…_

"So wait a minute. You're telling us that those dead guys you found weren't the ones who hurt Carlos?" James exclaims, looking shocked and angry as he gets up from the couch.

Lucy sighs and exchanges a look with her partner Nathan.

"No. They also hurt him. But the people who were behind this whole thing… I'm afraid they are still very much alive." Lucy calmly tells the family as they listen to her talk in shock. James runs a hand through his hair, while Mrs. Knight just looks ahead. "Now from what we've gathered from the video tapes.." Lucy starts.

"Wait. What video tapes?" Logan suddenly interrupts. Lucy opens her mouth to say something and looks at her partner. "What video tapes?" Logan repeats, his eyes shining concern.

"Uh, we found out that there were cameras set up all through the warehouse. These people, they uh, they recorded everything." She explains, looking down now.

"Oh my god…" Mrs. Knight exclaims and Katie grabs her hand at once when she sees the tears building up.

"They recorded everything? As in, when they hurt Carlos?" Logan asks in a near whisper, his eyes wide with shock and worry.

"I'm afraid so." Lucy answers again. Logan looks away.

"Those sick bastards…" James exclaims and he kicks a nearby chair, making it topple over.

Logan just takes a deep breath and looks at Lucy and Nathan again.

"So, what you're saying is, these people. They are still out there and they might come back for Carlos? I mean, that's why you're here, right? Because he needs protection?" Logan asks them anxiously.

"Not exactly." Lucy says as she eyes Nathan again.

"Actually, we only have the footage of the video tapes to show us who these people are. We found some possible suspects in our database. But we're going to need a positive id, so we'll know who to look for." Nathan calmly explains. He looks at everyone hesitantly to find out if they understood him.

"You can't be serious…" Logan asks, shaking his head.

"Carlos is the best witness in this case. From what we can gather, the others hardly saw these two. If he can id them from the pictures, we can go looking for them and lock them away for good." Nathan adds.

"That has go to be some kind of joke…" James asks, his eyes dark, his jaw set as he asks this.

"I'm afraid it's the only way we can do this." Lucy quietly adds.

"So the only way for you to solve your case is by making Carlos relive this whole nightmare again?" James asks, stepping closer.

"Look, I didn't want to do this either, but it is the only way." Lucy explains again.

"Well, you'll have to find another way. Because there is no way in hell we're going to let you do this. Right, Logan?" James asks his friend. Logan just looks down with wide eyes. "Logan?" James repeats, his eyes narrowing.

"So if Carlos can't id them, then you'll never be able to find them?" Logan quietly asks, not looking up.

"The video footage never shows a clear shot of them. So we only have guesses on who they are. We can't confirm it otherwise." Lucy tells them all. "I wish we had another solution."

"But you don't. This is the only way. So Carlos needs to see those pictures." Logan deducts and looks at Lucy and Nathan for confirmation. They both nod.

"Logan, you can't be serious…" James says, shaking his head. Logan gets up and walks over to him.

"James, it's the only way… These people, what they did to him… They need to be found or this will never end…" Logan tells him.

"No, no… I can't believe you would allow them to do this. How can you just agree with them? You know what this will do to him. He already has nightmares that leave him screaming and it took so much effort to get him to somewhat open up to us. Just think about what will happen if they show him those pictures. We'll lose him again…" James tells him, his eyes filled with pain and worry, eyes darting from right to left.

"James, he'll never be safe if we don't…" Logan quietly tries to reassure him.

"No, Logan. I'm not going to let you do this…" James tells him; still looking shocked, while gulping down some tears.

"James…" Logan starts, holding his hand out to his friend. But James steps back, shaking his head.

"No. I won't let you do this… I won't." He says as he turns around and hurries up the stairs.

"James!" Logan calls out, but Lucy stands next to him with a hand on his arm.

"Just let him go. He just needs some time." She assures him with a small smile.

"No. He's right. I mean, what will happen if we show him these pictures? He might revert completely back to the way he was when you found him. And he already made progress. I mean, it might not be much. He's not even talking yet, but it's been so much already and I just…" His voice breaks as he chokes on tears.

Lucy swallows thickly when she sees the last boy breaking down. This whole thing is taking an enormous toll on them.

"Logan, it's okay. Maybe we can just come back later. At a different time." She offers as she looks at Nathan for help. She puts a hand on his back, Nathan just shakes his head.

"No." Logan suddenly says, sternly as he shakes his head. He swallows some tears. "No, not a different time. I don't want him to have to do this. But I don't want him to have to live in fear his whole life either. Those people need to be locked away. We don't even know what they did to him, but just looking at him…" He lingers a look up the stairs before looking back at Lucy. "You have to keep him safe. Whatever it takes…" He nearly whispers with a pleading look in his eyes.

Lucy just nods, her eyes full of emotion as well. She nods towards Nathan, who gets up.

"This way." Logan tells them as he shakily starts to lead them towards the stairs.

"Logan…" Mrs. Knight asks behind him with another pleading tone. He closes his eyes for a moment and turns around. Katie also pleads with him as she holds her mother.

"It's the only way…" He says as he tries to reassure them and himself as well.

He turns back and again starts to lead the detectives up the stairs.

He slowly heads for the only sounds emitted, coming from James' room. He takes a deep breath before slowly pushing the door open.

James looks up from his place on the bed, facing his friends sitting against the wall. His eyes show betrayal. He immediately stands up and moves in front of Logan with balled fists.

"I told you not to, Logan. You can't do this to him." He hisses with angry eyes.

"Carlos, look who's here? You remember Detectives Lucy and Nathan, right?" Logan says, putting on a very fake smile. Carlos looks up slightly with scared eyes. He is no longer crying, but he still rocks back and forth.

"Logan…" James warns. Logan looks up at him and tries to show him that he's sorry, but James only looks hurt and betrayed.

"James.." Kendall suddenly says calmly as he gets up from the floor. "Look, from what you told me… I think Logan's right. I mean, I'm not crazy about this. But it might be the only way to get these people off the streets. This isn't just to save Carlos. It's to save all those other kids they took and the ones they might want to take again. He always tried to protect those kids in there, James. I think if he could, he'd tell us the same thing. He'd do this for them."

James darts his eyes between Logan and Kendall with an incredulous look of betrayal.

"James, it's for his own safety as well as so many others." Kendall adds as he puts a hand on James' shoulder.

"I can't believe you guys would do this…" He says, looking disgusted. He shrugs Kendall's hand off him and stalks out of the room, knowing he can't stop the four of them.

"James.." Kendall calls out, but he sighs.

"We'll talk to him later." Logan tells him. He nods.

"Carlos? Do you remember me? I'm detective Lucy Crimson and this is my partner Nathan Parker. We were the one who found you." Lucy says with a soft smile as she steps closer to Carlos. She kneels down towards him like he's a child. His eyes look scared, but she thinks she sees some recognition far away. She signals Nathan to join her and he hesitantly kneels down as well.

"Carlos, do you know why we are here?" She asks him, but he just looks at his hands again.

"He's not going to respond." Kendall tells them. "But he is listening." He says as he sits down in his original position next to Carlos. "Carlos, remember how James explained that they want you to look at some pictures? That's why they're here okay?"

"Yeah, uh, we have some pictures we'd like to show you and we'd like you to tell us if any of these men and women look familiar." Lucy softly tells him. She signals Nathan again and he looks very uncomfortable as he grabs his iPad and hands it to Lucy.

"Now I know this is very hard for you, but we really hope you can help us." She says assuring and shows him the iPad. She locks eyes with Kendall for a moment and he looks worried, but nods.

"Go on, Carlos. Just take it easy. Logan is here and so am I, all right? Just take your time." He tells his friend as Carlos slowly looks up and stares at Kendall for a moment. "It's okay. Nothing is going to happen to you. It's just pictures." He says with a nod.

Carlos looks hesitant, but then they seem slightly surprised when he actually looks up and at the iPad.

"Okay then. Uh, here's the first picture. Just let us know if you recognize anyone." Lucy says with a nervous smile. She slowly slides the pictures away as she looks for some sort of reaction in Carlos' eyes. Every slide shows two pictures of known man/woman pairs who worked together before.

Everyone waits nervously and anxiously, but the first six pictures nothing happens. But when the seventh pictures shows up, Carlos stiffens. He gasps and backs into the wall.

"Carlos?" A voice calls out, but it sounds like he's underwater. The voices and images in front of him seem to blur and suddenly, he's in another room. It's dark and quiet. Only the lamp on the ceiling lighted up above him illuminates the few items of furniture in the room. He tries to look up, but he can't move.

He looks around and notices his arms and legs have chains on them. His heart starts to race as he suddenly recognizes the small, grey looking room. He starts to panic as he also now recognizes the bed he is chained to.

Oh no… He couldn't be back here. That wasn't possible. He got out, didn't he? This wasn't real…

He closes his eyes for a moment and opens them again. No change. It's not a dream…

He starts to panic more and more and starts to pull on his chains with every strength he has.

His head shoots up when he hears the squeaking sound of the door opening.

"Hey, sweetie. Did you miss me?" Her voice sounds horrible in his ears. It hurts and slices through him like a knife. As she walks closer, He suddenly turns up next to her.

"Aw, he looks scared, Mols. What do you think?" He asks her with a smile. She smiles back.

"I do think I agree. I guess we'll have to make him feel better." She says and heads towards him.

He screams as loud as he can.

"Kendall, do something!" Logan screams as he watches his young friend screaming and trashing in the corner. His hands are over his ears and his eyes are squeezed shut.

"I told you not to. I told you this was a bad idea!" James suddenly yells from the doorway. But the moment he tries to get closer, Carlos screams even louder. He quickly steps back.

"Carlos, please… It's me, Kendall. It's okay. You're safe. Carlos…" Kendall pleads as Logan panics and cries on the other side of the room. Nathan looks on in shock.

"Carlos, Carlos, look at me. Carlos, they're just pictures. You're not there anymore. You're home, safe and sound and you're friends are here." Lucy says sternly, while trying to pry his hands from his ears.

"Stop it, you're hurting him!" James screams and he heads for Lucy, but Nathan quickly grabs his arms and tries to pull him away.

"Carlos, I know you're still in there. Just listen to me. You're not in the warehouse anymore. You're home in your beach house, which you share with your friends and family. They are not here and they are not going to hurt you anymore. I am personally going to make sure of that." She keeps her voice strong as she firmly pulls his arms down. His eyes are still squeezed shut, but his screams have quieted down to more whimpers and he no longer tries to clamp his ears shut.

"Carlos, she's right. You're safe here with Logan and James and Katie, my mom and me. We're all here for you. We're all here and we're not going anywhere." Kendall adds as he leans closer to Carlos.

Then in one moment Carlos finally moves in the most unexpected way. He pulls away from Lucy and practically launches himself into Kendall's arms. He latches himself onto his shirt and sobs as tears flow down freely.

Kendall looks up in shock to find everyone else mirroring the same reaction. He tries not to cry himself as he slowly lifts his arms up and puts them around his friend, pulling him even closer.

"It's okay, buddy. I'm here. Everything's going to be fine." He soothes as he holds his best friend safely in his arms.

**A/N First of all, thanks for the awesome reviews everyone! It really helped me want to write more **

**So, here's another chapter. I hope it wasn't confusing for anyone. If it was, don't hesitate to ask questions. Also, I know this is a horrible thing to put Carlos through, but I hope everyone understands why it was needed. And I still gave somewhat of a happy ending, right? ;)**

**Anyway, hope you like the chapter, let me know what you think!**

**Oh and psst; if you have some moments you'd like to see happen with Carlos in his next step to recovery… You know what to do ;) He won't talk just yet, but other bromances or family moments are open to ideas **

**Thanks again guys and until next time!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	21. Chapter 21 Picture Day

Chapter 21 Picture Day

It's been hours since Lucy and Nathan left. They promised to find the ones responsible for all of this. They will do everything in their power to catch them and put them away for life.

After sobbing in Kendall's arms for what seemed like hours, Carlos finally fell asleep. James was eventually the one to take the small boy from his arms and lay him in his own bed. They weren't sure if he actually slept in his bed now, but the pillows underneath it didn't look comfortable at all.

Everyone felt completely drained of energy, but they didn't feel like they would be able to sleep. So they settled on watching some television and just watching the clock tick away. They didn't really talk that evening, but they didn't have to. They knew they were all thinking about the same thing. Those two people, a man and a woman, who abused Carlos in the most brutal ways. The most disturbing thing was the fact that a woman had been involved.

But maybe insanity and sickness didn't choose genders. They all wondered why anyone would do something like this. And the worst part; they were still out there somewhere! Did Carlos realize the same thing? Was that why he wasn't talking? The things these two did… they just couldn't imagine it. And not only did they do such bad things, they recorded all of it on video. Had Lucy and Nathan seen the tapes?

The small family didn't want to see the tapes. But they couldn't help but think what was on them. Knowing what had happened to Carlos, it might help them figure out how to help him. Though honestly, if that meant they had to watch the tapes, they'd rather figure out their own way.

When it was dark outside, no one needed to say anything. Everyone just walked up the stairs like zombies. They were all in their own minds. As they dressed in night clothing, they all went to their own rooms and lay wide awake as more thoughts processed through them. Would Carlos keep the small progress he already made? Or would he go back to the way he was before? Hiding from them.

One by one everyone finally drift off in a difficult sleep. All but Logan. He tosses and turns, but everytime he closes his eyes he sees the faces of the man and woman. He wonders if the others are experiencing the same thing.

He sighs and finally lays on his back with eyes wide open as he stares at the ceiling. He decides enough is enough and sits up, ready to get up again. But the moment he is about to throw his covers off, he notices a figure standing in his doorway. He squints his eyes, but can't make out who it is in the darkness. He reaches out to his nightstand and flips on the lamp standing beside him. He blinks as his eyes adjust to the sudden light. He focuses on the doorway again and his eyes widen.

"Carlos?" He quietly asks as he watches the small form of his friend standing in front of him. His hands are grasping the doorframe and his eyes seem afraid, hesitant. "Carlos, what's wrong?" Logan asks and he notices how Carlos moves a little on his feet. It seems he wants to say something, but he stops himself.

"Can't sleep, huh?" Logan asks. Carlos doesn't respond, but he looks at the ground shyly. Logan smiles softly. "Yeah, me neither. You know what helps me to fall asleep when I'm thinking too much?" Carlos looks up at him, a little curious. Logan smiles a little wider an throws his legs over the edge of his bed. He gets up and Carlos backs up a little when he steps closer.

But when Logan veers of towards his bookcase, Carlos curiously pokes his head inside the room.

"I like to read a book sometimes." Logan says as he looks back at his friend. "But I know you don't like to read, unless the book has pictures. So my books probably won't help you sleep." He chuckles slightly as he imagines Carlos scrunching up his face in light disgust at the thought of books without pictures. He often teased Logan with this, being so boring.

He gets down on his knees and reaches a hand under the bottom shelf. He reaches further until he touches something. He smiles and grabs the item, pulling it towards him. An old box comes into view and Logan sits back on his knees. He blows on the top, making dust fly all over the floor. He laughs a little.

"Wow, I should clean under this bookcase, I guess." A faint smile of amusement has appeared on Carlos' face. But his eyes sparkle with curiosity as he looks at the box in front of his smart friend. Logan smiles at him. He puts his hands on the lid of the box and pulls it off. Carlos stretches his neck out even further to look what's inside the box, but still hasn't set foot over the threshold.

Logan has to keep from laughing out loud. Carlos is stretched so much; he could topple over if he didn't have such a vice-grip on the doorframe. He always was the curious one.

Instead, he shakes his head in amusement and picks up something from the box. An old picture album is in his hands.

"I uh… I made this a while ago." Logan says as he eyes the album and gently caresses the worn cover. "It's filled with pictures of the four of us. It has every picture I have of us since we met. I know it's not really a book, but there's a story behind every picture." He explains, now looking back up at Carlos. His friend looks hesitant again as he stares at him.

Logan stands up and walks towards his bed. He suddenly feels chilly and decides to get comfortable underneath the covers again. He slips under them, but props up a pillow behind his back and slightly sits up. He places the book in his lap and then eyes Carlos.

"Well, are you coming or not?" He asks. That catches Carlos off guard a little. He blinks and looks behind him.

Logan grabs his covers and throws them open, moving his body over to the right. He holds the covers opened up in his arms and nods at Carlos.

"Come on, it's not fun all by myself." He says and throws his friend another smile. He watches as Carlos hesitantly moves forward. But then he quickly moves back again when he hears a strange sound. "Hey, it's okay. That was James, knocking one his Cuda products to the ground." Carlos frowns a little. "Yeah, don't ask. He holds them in his sleep for some reason. Not sure why. Now come on, get over here."

Carlos hesitantly moves forward again with Logan coaxing him until he ends up beside the bed.

Logan sounds so confident. But his heart is pounding so hard, he's afraid Carlos might hear it. Last time Carlos ended up in his bed, he wasn't even aware of it. It had been he first time he talked again. But this… He didn't even know where he found the courage to do this, the boldness to ask Carlos to get in bed with him. He certainly didn't expect him to actually do it. But here he is, eyes still seeking approval. But Logan keeps his cool and makes sure his friend knows it's okay.

The moment he actually climbs into bed with him, he nearly jumps for joy. He throws the covers over them both. But that's when he notices how Carlos fumbles with the straps of the black hockey helmet perched on his head. And the way he still keeps his distance.

"Come here." He didn't know how he did it. He was never much of a hugger or one to display affection. That was Carlos. But something about this situation made him realize he had to step up and get over it. Carlos needed the affection, he needed to know he didn't have to be afraid of them. For some reason, Kendall had already shown him that. But Logan hadn't. Which was why he feels the need to pull the boy close to him.

Carlos stiffens at first, but Logan smiles at him and gently holds his left arm around him.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Just relax." Logan tells him. Carlos looks at him with childlike eyes, unsure. But a final nod from his smart friend has him relaxing at last. He wiggles down a little and settles his head on Logan's chest, his hand following quickly. He snuggles close to Logan, who needs to calm down his own heart and keep in his ever growing smile.

"Alright, comfortable enough?" He asks, his voice shaking slightly. Carlos just stares at him with a hint of a smile. Logan nods and takes a deep breath before opening up his album with shaking hands.

As he opens his mouth to quietly tell the stories behind the ridiculous pictures of the four hockey friends from Minnesota, someone else stands in the hallway, listening with a smile of his own. As Logan starts to use other voices to animate the stories further, Kendall has to put a hand in front of his mouth to keep from laughing. The slight giggles heard after this seem so surreal. But the tears slowly rolling down his cheeks are very real as he shuffles back to his own room.

The following morning Logan wakes up feeling more rested than he has in a while. He stretches and smiles. He looks to his left, but his smile falters immediately when he realizes he's alone. Did he just dream all of it?

"He already went downstairs for breakfast." Kendall's voice suddenly announces from the doorway. Logan looks up with a frown. "You looked so peaceful, we didn't want to wake you." Kendall is leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "That was a really good idea, showing him those pictures. Wish I thought of it. Nice voices by the way." He says with a grin as Logan blushes and smiles. "Come on, it's almost time for lunch." He teases and laughs as Logan throws a pillow his way.

Logan shakes his head at the retreating form of his friend and gets up slowly. He smiles again when he sees the still opened up picture album on the ground. Then, a sudden idea enters his mind. He feels exited as he puts the album away, before he heads down the stairs.

It was so strange. They had expected Carlos to be worse today. They thought that after what happened the day before that he would revert back to the way he was when they first brought him in.

But the family sits in awe as he happily eats with them. He doesn't talk, but his eyes have gained a small sparkle.

_Meanwhile somewhere in an unknown location…_

"Come on, Johnny…" She whines at her husband. "Let's just go back for the tapes."

Her husband keeps his binoculars steady as he peers out of their window.

"Johnny, are you even listening to me? I want the tapes!"

"Will you shut up? I'm busy." The brown haired man growls at her, before turning his attention to the binoculars again. The blond haired woman sighs and lets the top half of her body fall on the bed.

"I don't get why we have to be stuck in this place. You promised we would have fun. But this isn't fun, Johnny. It's boring." She whines as she crosses her arms and pouts.

The man sighs. "For god's sake, Molly. Don't you think I want to have fun? But we can't right now. The cops are looking for us. So we gotta lay low."

She huffs. "I want him back. I want my teddy bear." She says, smiling slightly as she hugs herself and closes her eyes. "He was a good hugger. He was so warm and amazing in bed." She giggles as she remembers some moments.

"Damn it, Molly!" The man growls as he glares at the young woman.

"Well, he was. You have to admit that." She says as her eyebrows furrow in thought. "He sure got quiet though. I used to love to hear him sing to the little ones. Too bad he stopped. Why do you think he stopped?" Her eyebrows are scrunched up in frustration as she looks at the man for answers.

He sighs in annoyance and rolls his eyes.

She pouts again and looks back at the ceiling. "I really miss him." She suddenly sits up and her eyes light up with excitement. "I have the perfect idea!" She clasps her hands together and smiles widely. "We should totally go see him! He'll be so happy to see us again. My cuddly teddy bear." She squeals and happily bobs up and down on the bed.

"Molly, shut the hell up!" the man suddenly shouts, making Molly stop moving. She looks at him with frightened eyes. He puts the binoculars down and walks over to her menacingly. "We can't go see him. He betrayed us, remember?"

Her eyes become wide and hurt like a kicked puppy. She quickly shakes her head. "No, he wouldn't do that. He would never do that. We should just go and see him. He'll tell you. And then we can take him home again." She smiles again, but he sighs and closes his eyes. She gets off the bed and walks over to him. She puts her arms around his waist.

"You're too good for this world." He softly says, grabbing her hand and gently kissing it. She giggles and snuggles into his back. He smiles and looks out the window. "Don't worry. We will get him back, eventually."

**A/N Yep, a new chapter is here Happy Elevate day!**

**I love the new album. My personal favorites are Invisible, Cover Girl and No Idea (Carlos' voice just makes me gasp every time I hear his verse… Did not he could sound even better than he did. Touch of Nick Carter in there or is that just me?)**

**Oh and couldn't help but smirk a little at how the guys will be doing a Livestream tomorrow and not a Ustream. I know, it's horrible, but I'm guessing they have learned a very big lesson. Not that ever figured out how to properly use Ustream anyway. But that last session… wow.**

**Anyway, back to the story :P I hope you like it. I'm guessing you get the last part, right? ;) If anyone has any questions, let me know **

**Thanks for all the reviews, guys. I especially loved the requests for a little Cargan bromance. Hope it was to your liking ;) Now just need some inspiration for some Jarlos bromance as well. But it'll come to me, don't worry!**

**Thanks again for all the support, fellow Rushers, I feel Elevated :D**

**Love, Baxxie**


	22. Chapter 22 Gifts

Chapter 22 Gifts

It's been a number of days since Logan showed Carlos the photo album. His friend's reaction was so great, he was inspired to do something for him. He talked to the rest of the family, who were just as enthusiastic about it and they quickly put their plan into action.

It's fun to work on their secret project. It has been so long since they created a surprise for their friend. Logan can't wait to see his reaction when they hand it to him.

In the meantime, he gets to tell Carlos stories from the photo album every night. Because ever since that first time, Carlos comes to Logan after everyone has gone to bed. He is still hesitant, but he doesn't wait for Logan to invite him in anymore. One time he even woke up the smart boy after he fell asleep too early. He almost yelled at him, until he realized who it was. Now Logan just anticipates his arrival and does everything he can not to fall asleep.

The others are fully aware of it, even though Carlos tries to make sure they are all asleep. They're not sure why he does it, but they are already happy he's this comfortable with Logan now. It's very different from how it used to be. They have all been best friends since the beginning, but somehow were always split into twos. It was always Kendall and Logan, and James and Carlos. They're personalities just matched better, so it was natural for them. But Logan is happy with the change. He always felt that there was a distance between him and Carlos, which seemed to get worse the older they got. He didn't want them to drift apart, he wanted them to be closer. And even though the situation is horrible, he is finally getting his wish.

From the outside, there doesn't seem to be any improvement anymore for Carlos' behaviour. But the family will never agree with that. Ever since his nightly visits with Logan, he is trying to connect with the others though old memories.

One memorable example of this was what happened about a week ago. Kendall and Katie were fighting over what to watch on TV. Katie wanted to watch a special on unsolved murders, while Kendall wanted to watch a hockey game. The others were at work, when Carlos shuffled into the room. He hesitantly sat down next to Katie on the couch. But the siblings were already involved in a heated argument and didn't notice. He moved slowly and sneakily as he pulled the remote from behind Katie and changed the channel. Brother and sister both stopped what they were doing right away when they suddenly heard the laughter of Fatboy and ChumChum. A cartoon that the whole family used to tune into back in LA. The fight was immediately forgotten and Kendall and Katie watched in amusement as Carlos silently giggled at funny antics the characters on screen pulled. Soon all three were laughing out loud, which the rest of the family came home to in surprise. At the end of the day the entire family ended up on the couch to watch the Fanboy and ChumChum marathon on Nickelodeon, which lasted until Carlos fell asleep on Logan's shoulder. After they put him to bed, they all stayed up and talked about the moment. Because that was the first time the real Carlos came out and they were determined it wouldn't be the last time.

Nothing like that had happened since, but little things do occur. Not only does he clean up his own plate after meals, but he has also started to help Mrs. Knight clean up after the others. It's strange, because it isn't in his nature to do so. Not that anyone minds. Mrs. Knight is definitely happy, even though he still tenses up when she walks close to The only reason they can think of is horrible, but maybe she reminds him of the woman who held him captive. They try not to think about this as they try to make him feel comfortable.

During all of this, the house has been fully designed to their wishes, which includes the swirly slide. They saw his eyes sparkle when he saw it, but he has yet to use it. They know it'll just be a matter of time, so they don't push the subject.

And after today, they hope to see a lot of progress in his recovery. Because today is the day they will give him the surprise they've been working so hard on. It's Saturday and everyone is staying home. They have prepared a full day of indoor fun for the whole family. Breakfast already consists of all of Carlos' favorite foods. They know he can tell from the way his eyes lit up as he eyes the table. They hope to catch a glimpse of the old Carlos, who used to stock up his plate and eat way too much, without getting sick or feeling full. Unfortunately he doesn't, but he does eat a little of everything and the smile on his face is good enough for them.

After breakfast, Katie invites him upstairs so she can show him something. He seems hesitant, because he has noticed how nervous and excited everyone is. But he doesn't protest when Katie pulls him along. When they reach the stairs, Carlos starts to head for his room, presumably to get dressed. Katie stops him right away.

"No need to get dressed, it's Sunday. We're all going to stay in our jammies today!" She tells him with an excited smile. Carlos frowns, but follows her to her room anyway. "Ok, you need to see this. I got a new video game last week, it is so much fun!" She tells him as she grabs her Nintendo 4s and shows him the screen. He looks a little confused, but decides to play along with her intent to distract him.

He watches her move her hands rapidly across the screen.

"You want to play?" he looks up curiously as she looks at him and holds out the device. He looks at the Nintendo, not sure on what to do. "Here, it's okay." Katie mentions with a warm smile and hands it to him.

He holds the game in his hands and tries to move the character. He stills looks unsure and sends Katie a questioning look. She grins.

"Ok, here's what you do."

In the meantime, the others are busy transforming the house for fun and games. They have turned on music and are singing and dancing along to old Big Time Rush songs. Kendall laughs when James and Logan act like they are on a stage and perform each everyone's parts of Famous acting like the other would in an exaggerated manner. Jennifer Knight laughs as well when Logan and James both act like they're Kendall and flip their hair before doing 'the Kendall'. The blond shakes his head and throws pillows their way.

Pretty soon all three are on the couch doing impressions of each other to If I Ruled the World.

Jennifer Knight heads for the staircase after everything is set up.

"Katie, Carlos?" She calls out and shakes her head at the three goofballs on the couch.

In Katie's room, Katie is cheering Carlos on as he plays the game on her handheld gaming device, getting better every minute. When they hear her mom calling, only Katie looks up.

"We'll be right down!" She yells back, while Carlos doesn't seem to have noticed. "Carlos, come on, we should head downstairs." She tells him, but his eyes are glued to the small screen. "Carlos?" She calls again, chuckling when he is still too far into the game to notice. "Carlitos!" She calls a little louder, suddenly startling him and he looks at her. "Save the game, mom wants up to come downstairs." She can see hints of a pout forming on his lips, making her smirk. "Come on, you can finish the game later." She tells him and he seems to grumble a little before handing the device to her and standing up to leave. She shakes her head with a chuckle and goes to save the game. Her smile vanishes right away. "Hey, you beat my high score!" She yells in frustration.

She quickly saves the game under his name, still dumbfounded how he managed to beat her and then quickly follows him down. She finds him standing at the bottom, staring at his crazy friends, who are still doing impressions of each other on the couch, serenading to invisible fans. He seems intrigued and a little far away, like he's remembering something. But soon a small smile is visible as well as he continues to watch their insane rendition of Boyfriend.

Jennifer Knight goes to turn down the music, resulting in all four boys groaning and pouting. Everyone looks at Carlos in surprise, who seems embarrassed right away.

"Come on, you goofballs." Jennifer tells them as the guys throw Carlos a grin. He looks away in shyness. They all bound over to the dining table and Carlos' eyes widen when he sees the games stacked up there and the game Yahtzee already set up. Everyone sits down and he surprises them by moving to sit between Logan and Kendall. He throws them a shy smile and they quickly start to play. (A/N: going to skip a little bit, because this is not the main subject of the chapter)

Their entire day is relaxed as they play games. They revel in seeing Carlos enjoying himself and looking more comfortable than he has in a while. Right now Katie has given Carlos her gaming device again, while Mrs. Knight does the dishes and Kendall makes hot chocolate. The other guys sit with Carlos and Katie and watch in amazement as he beats all their high scores, after playing the game for the first time. They cheer him on and after a while Logan gets up and motions for James to follow. Carlos doesn't notice, he just keeps his full attention on the game. Katie is happy she gave it to him, he seems much more at ease as he is distracted from the world around him.

Kendall sets the hot chocolate on the dining table, when Logan and James return. Kendall smiles when he notices the brunettes holding something behind their backs. They approach Carlos, who is so emerged on the running character on the screen, that he again doesn't notice them. Katie does and nudges his arm.

"Carlos." She quietly tells him and points to the guys. He looks up and puts down the game when he sees their excited grins.

"Carlos, because we are so proud of all the progress you've been making, we want to give you something. It's from all of us and we hope it will help you get even better." Logan tells him. They notice the subtle blush appearing on his cheeks. The other guys nod at Logan and he pulls the gift from his back. He hands a large book to Carlos, who looks confused, but hesitantly takes it.

"It's a photo album. We uh, we put together all the pictures we could find of you from when you were born till now." James tells him. Carlos looks at the album in awe.

"We saw how much you enjoyed looking through Logan's album, so we wanted you to have your own. Now you can look at all the pictures whenever you want." Kendall adds as they watch Carlos' reaction.

He looks moved by it and affectionately traces the title of the soft fabric like cover, 'Carlos' Memories' can be read on the front.

"So, what do you think?" Logan asks hesitantly. He is not prepared for the reaction he receives as Carlos jumps up and pulls him into a tight hug. It takes him a moment to recover from the shock and then slowly hugs him back. "You're welcome, buddy." He says in a near whisper.

Carlos then moves over to Kendall. He seems a little hesitant, but then hugs him as well. Kendall grins and hugs back right away. Just then Katie taps the boy on his shoulder.

"What about me? I helped too." She says with a playful smile and a small pout. He grins and she squeals when he suddenly picks her off the ground in a warm hug. She smiles from ear to ear when he sets her back down. He turns around and his smile fades a little when he sees James looking down at his feet. He steps forward hesitantly, fiddling with the straps of his helmet.

Logan and Kendall follow his gaze and nudge James, who then looks up sadly. His eyes grow when he sees Carlos nervously looking at him. He moves forward a little more, looking unsure and biting his lip. He moves forward again, but pulls back right away. They see him struggling to decide on what to do. The guys look at James and see he is becoming frustrated. After a few awkward seconds James closes his eyes and sighs.

"It's okay, Carlos. You don't have to hug me. Just seeing you happy is thanks enough for me." He says, plastering a fake smile on his face. He turns around and starts to walk away. The guys see Carlos looks sad and even slightly guilty. He bites his lip again. Then suddenly he moves forward as fast as he can and pulls James in a hug from behind.

James freezes up completely and closes his eyes as he slowly moves his hands on top of Carlos' arms. He can feel the young man shaking like a leaf, but the fact that he is trying makes his eyes tear up. It only lasts a few seconds, but to James it feels like hours. Then Carlos lets go, grabs the photo album and runs off and up the stairs.

The others watch him in amazement and then back at James, who still stands there frozen. He trembles and feels his own waist, where Carlos' arms were only seconds ago. Kendall and Logan walk up to him and smile at his shocked expression.

"Well, that was unexpected, huh?" Logan asks him. He turns his head towards his friend, who then notices his lip starting to quiver.

"Oh, buddy..." Kendall whispers and he gathers James into his arms, who quietly starts to sob.

"I guess it was a little much for both of you to handle, huh?" The blond asks as he rubs his friend's back.

Katie in the meantime noticed how Carlos didn't even try to approach her mother. The woman immediately went into the kitchen and is cleaning the counter feverishly. Katie cautiously approaches her.

"Mom?" She quietly asks, but her mom continues to clean without looking up. "Mom, I'm sure he was just caught up in the moment with James." She still doesn't respond. "Mom?" She asks again. Jennifer stops cleaning for a moment.

"I'm fine, Katie!" She says, sounding a little angry. Katie immediately puts up her hands in defense, getting that her mother just needs a moment.

Katie retreats back to the guys now sitting on the couch. Kendall sends her a concerned look, pointing towards his mom. She shakes her head. Logan and him continue to rub James' back as he starts to calm down. Katie sits next to them.

"Wow..." She suddenly pipes. The guys look at her with growing smiles. "Besides him ignoring mom, that could not have gone better..." She tells them.

"Yep. I mean, he actually hugged all of us." Kendall muses.

"Yeah, he even hugged you, James. Did you see that coming?" Logan asks the sniffling brunette. A smile appears on his face and he shakes his head. "Me neither. That was just... wow." He chuckles.

"And that was just his reaction to us giving him the album. Do you think he'll ask us for the stories behind those pictures as well?" Kendall muses. Logan shrugs.

"Maybe. I definitely hope so. But not today probably. It's okay though, I mean, he took some huge steps today." They all glance at the staircase with a smile.

"Who knows, maybe tomorrow we can get him to use the swirly slide instead of the stairs." Kendall muses.

"That would be awesome, but I think it's a little too early for that." Logan mentions. Then suddenly they hear a strange swishing sound coming from the swirly slide. They all whip their heads around to it with wide eyes, watching the opening at the bottom carefully.

They see a strange object fall to the ground. Kendall stands up and walks towards the slide with a frown.

"What in the world?" He questions as he crouches down to pick it up.

"What is it, Kendall?" Logan asks him as Kendall comes back up.

Kendall looks at the stuffed brown monkey in his hands and looks at the banister. He grins when he sees Carlos looking at him with wide eyes, he gasps and runs off when he realizes he's been caught.

The blond looks back at his friends and holds up the stuffed monkey.

"Too early, huh?" He muses with a chuckle. They all stare at the now empty banister in awe. Could it be? Was he really improving this fast? Or was it too good to be true? Whatever it is, this day has been incredible and hopefully will only get better.

**A/N Yay :) I finally got round to updating this story again! Honestly, this wasn't the chapter I had in mind, but when I started to write, this came out. I had a lot of fun writing it and thought it was time for some fluff :)**

**Do expect the next chapter to contain a little more angst ;) But I hope you liked the chapter, let me know :)**

**Thank you for all the support so far. I apologize for not replying to all the reviews I received for this story. I will get on that, but in general thank you so much for all comments, reviews, favorite alerts and all others, I appreciate all of them!**

**Next chapter will be up hopefully on Sunday :)**

**Love, Baxxie**


	23. Chapter 23 Progression Takes Time

Chapter 23 Progression Takes Time

Carlos has had the photo album for three days. Not long, but he has been hauling it around everywhere. And every moment he is able to, he goes to Logan to tell him the stories behind the pictures, even though he is in every single one himself. The first two days, Logan was happy to help and explained as much he could. But then Carlos pointed towards pictures Logan wasn't in, which made things more difficult.

"I'm sorry, buddy. But it's just you and James in that one. I guess you'll have to ask him." Logan tells his friend, whose eyes widen and he hesitatingly darts his eyes to James and back to Logan. Logan chuckles lightly at the panic in his dark orbs. "It's okay. You hugged him just three days ago and nothing bad happened, right?" Carlos looks down and bites his lip. "Just walk up to him and ask." Carlos looks up with a frown. "I mean… well, you know what I mean." He says and slightly pushes the Latino in James' direction, as the pretty one sits on the couch with Kendall, watching TV.

Carlos clutches the album to his chest and slowly walks towards the couch. Halfway there, he turns around, but Logan motions for him to go back. Carlos nearly pouts, but Logan encourages him to go back and in the end he turns towards the couch. He almost jumps out of his skin when he sees Kendall and James staring at him curiously. He eyes the album in his arms and turns his head back to Logan once more. He smiles and gives him thumbs up.

The Latino boy moves forward and towards James' side on the couch. He still looks nervous and slightly trembles. The guys can see his breathing is speeding up and exchange glances. Logan quickly signals James to do something.

"Uh, hey buddy. What's up?" James asks awkwardly. Logan face palms as he watches. Kendall stifles a laugh and James quickly punches him with his elbow.

Carlos shifts on his feet and then holds out the photo album to James with shaking hands. James looks at it and gulps. He puts on a warm smile.

"You want me to tell a story about the pictures?" He asks softly, amazed that Carlos is even asking. Well, attempting to ask anyway. Carlos bites his lip as he holds out the album. James smiles wider. "Sure buddy, I'd be happy to." He offers and grabs the album, flipping it open right away. Carlos slowly sits next to him, albeit far away.

"Wait, hold on. You're just going to do it, just like that?" Kendall suddenly asks and James throws him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" He asks, while Kendall scoots forward.

"Look, I wasn't going to say anything, but this has been bugging me for a while now." Kendall starts to explain. "Carlos, if you want James or anyone else for that matter to tell you about a picture, you are going to have to ask." He announces and takes the album from James' hands. He gets up from the couch, while James and Logan both look at him like he has lost his mind.

"Uh, Kendall, what are you doing?" James asks as he also gets up from the couch.

"James, I think it's about time Carlos learns that he is going to have to use words if he wants something." Kendall explains as he puts the photo album on top of a bookcase.

"Kendall, why are you doing this all of a sudden?" Logan quietly asks him as he also approaches both guys.

"Guys, I'm sorry, but I am done treating Carlos like a child." He explains. "Ever since he is back we have done everything for him. I know he needs time to come back to us and to trust us and I know he has already made improvement. But seriously, how can we help him if we keep doing everything he wants? Face it. Carlos is a grown up and the only way to get him to be himself again is by actually letting him do things for himself." He turns away, but James forces him to turn back around.

"Kendall, you can't do this. You know what he has been through." The brunette tells him, his eyes reading anger.

"Of course I know what he's been through. But remember how I got him to eat? I didn't feed him. I set a bowl of fruit loops in front of him and walked away. He's the one who started eating it, because he was hungry. I think the same approach should be used to get him to talk." He tells his friends.

"Logan, say something." James says in a pleading tone. Logan seems to think about it and sighs.

"James…" He starts and James interrupts.

"I can't believe you. You're the one who has been spending the most time with him, telling him all those stories. He has been too scared to even come up to me. Now that he finally pulled up the courage to approach me, you decide he has to talk before I can help him?" James asks in disbelief. They exchange glances. "This is bullshit."

"James, look. I don't like it either, but I think Kendall has a point. I mean, I know I've been giving in every single time, but he's right. He'll never learn to talk again, because he knows we'll still do whatever he wants anyway. He needs to learn to be independent." Logan explains and he tries to put a hand on James' arm. He shrugs it off right away. "James…"

"No, Logan. This is just completely unfair. You have both already had moments with him. I haven't, okay?" He starts as he reaches for the album again.

"James, this isn't about you…" Kendall starts, but James heads for the couch with the album in his arms, ignoring him. The blond rolls his eyes. He watches with crossed arms as James sits next to a hesitant Carlos and opens the album again.

"It's okay, Carlos. So, which picture did you want me to talk about?" He asks and looks as Carlos points to a picture of the two boys at six years old and covered in mud. Their arms are around each other and huge smiles are etched onto their faces. James smiles. "Good choice. That's one of my favourites too." Carlos smiles a little as well, but doesn't move closer. As James is about to start the story, he looks at Carlos, who is still too afraid to come too close.

"Come here." James mentions and pats the spot right next to him. Carlos' eyes widen. James rolls his eyes. "I'm not going to bite. Come on, get over here." He mentions again and motions for Carlos to come closer.

The brunette may seem confident as he asks Carlos this. But he can't help but feel hurt when he sees the panic in Carlos' eyes as he asks him to come closer.

Carlos hesitates, but then moves a little bit closer anyway. James almost laughs as he has hardly moved an inch. So he rolls his eyes again and moves sideways until he is sitting right next to his old friend. He can feel Carlos tensing up as he puts an arm around him. The moment he touch his arm, the boy whimpers, causing James to quickly put up his hand in defence.

"Okay, I-I'm sorry… I won't touch you." Carlos stops whimpering immediately and looks up with shocked eyes. James puts on a small smile, but the way his friend is this afraid of him feels like a dagger is stabbed through his heart. Carlos looks guilty. "No, it's okay, buddy. It's not your fault. I know you can't help it." He tells him with another fake smile and looks down.

James himself freezes up when he suddenly feels Carlos scooting closer until he is leaning into him. He can feel his form shaking, but the fact that he is trying is amazing to the brunette. He gulps.

"Okay, so this picture was taken when we were just six years old…"

James wakes up the next day and heads downstairs for breakfast. He stretches and yawns as he walks down the steps and into the kitchen. He stops dead in his tracks when he notices how quiet everyone is. Tension seems to linger in the air when he notices Carlos sitting in his seat with a still empty plate, while everyone else is eating. Katie keeps sending sympathetic looks his way. James sees her open her mouth and reach for the plate of pancakes sitting on the other side of the table.

But she quickly pulls back when Kendall clears his throat and sends her a look. James frowns.

"Uh what's going on here?" he asks and they all look at him.

"Morning James." Mrs. Knight greets with a smile, sounding a little nervous.

"Good morning. So, again, what is going on?" James asks.

"What do you mean? We're just having breakfast." Kendall tells him as he takes another piece of pancake. James looks at him in disbelief.

"I mean this." He says, pointing towards Carlos, who looks down at his plate with sad eyes. "Why doesn't he have breakfast yet?" Carlos looks up with slight panic and looks towards Kendall.

"What are you talking about? The pancakes are right here." He answers as if it's no big deal. "Logan, pass me the syrup." Logan passes him the syrup and sends a wary look towards Carlos.

"I can see that the pancakes are right by you. Why haven't you given one to Carlos?" James asks. The rest of the family continue to eat, but they can feel the tension building.

"Uh, because he has hands." Kendall says in a 'duh' like manner and chuckles. He shares a look with Logan, but the brunette only puts on a small smile.

James frowns and walks towards Kendall's side of the table. He grabs the plate of pancakes and walks towards Carlos.

"Here you go, buddy." He says with a smile. Carlos looks up in surprise. He almost reaches out to the plate, when suddenly it is pulled from James' hands. He looks up to find Kendall returning to his seat and putting the plate down. James huffs and walks over again. He reaches towards the plate, but Kendall moves it out of his reach. "Kendall, stop being an idiot and just give me the plate."

"No." Is the only answer he gets.

"Kendall, just give me the plate." James asks again, slightly raising his voice.

Kendall doesn't respond and just continues to eat.

"Kendall." He doesn't even look up. "Kendall!" Kendall lets his fork clatter on the table.

"If he wants to eat, he can ask for it. Now can we just finish breakfast?" Kendall argues and continues to eat.

"Sure." James says with a sudden smile. "Right after Carlos also gets to eat a pancake." He mentions. Kendall stops eating when he notices James putting a pancake on Carlos' plate with a smile and sitting down next to him.

Carlos looks at Kendall wearingly, but slowly starts to eat.

When breakfast is done, everyone starts to clear the table. Katie drags Carlos over to the couch to watch cartoons, when James pulls Kendall aside.

"What the hell was that, dude?" He questions him. "This is your idea of getting Carlos to talk?"

The blond sighs and tries to walk away, but James pulls on his arm. He sighs.

"Well, he's not going to learn with us babying him." He explains. James looks at him in disbelief and then at Mrs. Knight, who is cleaning off the rest of the table.

"Mrs. Knight, please do something. I mean, you can't let him do this." The brunette asks her. She turns to him.

"Honey, I wasn't sure about this either at first. But maybe we should let him try this out. It might work." She says as she sends him a smile.

"Has everyone lost their mind?" James asks, his voice growing louder.

"James, calm down." Logan tries.

"No, Logan. This isn't right. Carlos has been trying really hard to come back to us. We probably don't even know half of what he went through, but he is trying. The doctors told us things would be hard and that we had to go slow. And yes, it's been difficult for all of us, but think of how hard it must be for him. Look at how much he has already improved. It's something we never thought would happen. And now you suddenly want to speed things up and force him to do something he obviously has a lot of trouble with?" He asks, looking very frustrated.

"So just letting him continue and doing everything for him like he's a baby is helping?" Kendall asks him. "He's 18 years old, James!" He starts to yell. James turns away. "If it was us in this situation, he would do the exact same thing."

"No, he wouldn't Kendall! Carlos would do everything he could to help us, because that is what best friends do! They don't force each other to do something they're not ready for!"

Logan is listening to their voices growing louder and notices Carlos slowly moving up from the couch, looking upset. "Guys, maybe you should calm down."

"Are you listening to yourself? We are not forcing him to do anything. We are coaxing him into fending for himself again. Who are you helping by practically feeding him pancakes? Do you think he's grateful to you, James?" Kendall asks, ignoring Logan.

"Yes, I think he is very grateful for us helping him." James answers.

"And how do you know that, huh? Did he tell you?" James sends a death glare his way.

"That is just low, Kendall." He grumbles, while Kendall shakes his head.

"God, dude, you are being way too sensitive about this. If he was really your best friend, would you still…" Kendall starts, but the pretty boy interrupts him.

"If he was my best friend? If? He is my best friend, Kendall! I'm not sure he's yours though." James says, his voice low as he pokes Kendall in the chest.

"I am doing what is best for him!"

They keep yelling back and forth, the volume of their voices increasing word by word. Logan keeps a close eye on Carlos, who has gotten off the couch and is inching backwards towards the stairs. Katie is trying to get him to come back, but he won't listen. His eyes won't leave this two best friends fighting about him.

"Guys…" Logan tries again, keeping his eyes on Carlos. But the two friends keep yelling. Logan watches in vain as his young friend finally turns around and runs upstairs. He sighs and then turns to the other two with a glare. "Would you just shut up for a minute!" He yells at the top of his lungs, causing the others to stop what they're doing and stare at him in shock. "I know both of you are trying to do what's best for him, but arguing over him when he's still in the room is not helping anyone!"

With that he turns around with a disappointed shake of his head and heads for the stairs.

"Carlos?" He calls out as he runs up the steps. He heads for his bedroom right away. "Carlos? Are you…" His voice trails off when he sees Carlos sitting underneath his bed, holding his stuffed monkey tightly in his arms, looking visibly upset. He sighs and moves towards the bed as well. He crawls on all fours and sends a friendly smile his friend's way. "Can I join you?" Carlos just looks at his hands. Logan moves inside anyway.

"I'm sorry about them. They just don't realize what they're doing sometimes, you know." He starts. "I…" He stops talking when he sees Carlos opening his mouth.

He seems to struggle for a moment and closes his mouth again. "What? What is it buddy?" Carlos opens his mouth again, but closes it just as fast. He looks defeated and puts his head down on his pulled up knees. Just then, Logan comes to a realization.

"You're not upset because they're fighting, are you? You're upset because you want to start talking and you can't." Carlos just looks up in disbelief, while Logan smiles. "It's okay, buddy. I'll help you through this. Let's just take it one step at a time."

After his talk with Carlos, Logan heads back downstairs. Katie sends him a hopeful look, while Kendall and James are glaring at each other from opposite sides of the dinner table. Mrs. Knight sternly watches them.

Everyone moves their eyes towards Logan when they hear him come in.

"He's okay. He actually got upset because he wants to talk as badly as we want him to." Kendall immediately sends a 'I told you so' look towards James, while he rolls his eyes in return. "I told him we'd help him." Kendall smiles smugly. "But, I did say we would take it one step at a time. So Kendall, no rushing things." This time sends a smirk towards Kendall. "But James, also, no more doing everything for him."

"But…" He starts in protest.

"James." Mrs. Knight warns. He sighs in an exaggerating matter.

"Ugh, fine." He says, grumbling under his breath while crossing his arms.

"Okay. So let's talk about a plan." Logan says, looking excited, while Katie still looks hesitant as she sends a worried look towards the staircase.

The rest of the first week everyone continues like they normally would. And in this case normal means, actually normal. No more doing everything for Carlos. They just go about their own business, without asking him if he wants to do something or needs something. Katie and James have trouble with it, but a strong look from any of the other three makes them send Carlos an apologetic smile as they just move on.

They can tell how frustrated Carlos is getting with all of it, but they have to keep going. He needs to learn that he can't get everything by just waiting for it to come to him, he'll have to get up and take it or at least ask for it.

There are moments when Carlos opens his mouth and they get their hopes up. But after a moment, he closes it again and casts his eyes down or walks away.

In the second week, everyone is getting frustrated. James and Katie are still against the idea and are done with it. Logan and Mrs. Knight are in the middle, while Kendall strongly feels it's the only way and they just have to stick with it. But he himself is getting just as impatient with the results and the tension is building inside the house.

This is what leads to a very awkward dinner in the evening. It's quiet, with everyone only talking when asking to pass food. The only person not present is Katie, who is spending the weekend at a friend's house. Their eyes are on Carlos, who is looking very frustrated. He only has a small amount of mashed potatoes and a spoonful of peas on his plate. He keeps eyeing the chicken nuggets in front of Kendall. He sighs and starts to get up. The minute he does, Kendall grabs the bowl and holds it up.

"Ah ah. If you want these, you can ask for them." Kendall tells him. Carlos looks at him in disbelief and the others follow.

"Kendall, just let him take them." Logan tells him.

"No, Logan. If he wants them, he can ask them. He has a voice. It's about time he learns to use it again." Carlos looks hurt at these words and looks down at his hands. Kendall continues to eat while the others send him a look of disappointment.

Just then, James throws his fork down and stands up.

"Ok, that's it. I've had it." He grabs the bowl of chicken nuggets and puts some on carlos' plate. "Here you go, buddy. Enjoy them." He says and sits back down.

Kendall looks at him curiously. "Why did you do that?"

"He just wants to eat the dinosaur chicken, Kendall. No need to be a jerk about it. He's been trying for two weeks now, he deserves to be rewarded." James tells him.

"Rewarded for what? He hasn't made any improvement." Kendall tells him.

"Kendall, that's enough." His mom warns.

"No, mom, I'm serious. W have been trying for two weeks and James just giving him the chicken means he is just giving up. He's giving up even though we have gotten nowhere. Now we can just start all over again." He explains, sending an accusing look towards the pretty brunette.

"Maybe us getting nowhere with this plan, just means it didn't work. I get you want to help him, Kendall. But starving him is not the answer. He's just not ready." He argues.

Kendall throws down his fork and stands up.

"And when the hell is he ever going to be ready? When will he ever get back to normal if you keep giving in in the end?" He asks James, who furrows his eyebrows and also gets up.

"I am not giving in. I just want you to admit that you're way of getting him to talk isn't working. Meaning we need to find a different approach." He simply explains.

"We don't need a different approach, he is just being stubborn!" Kendall suddenly yells out. The others look at him in shock.

"How can you say that? Carlos is having just as much trouble with this as we are, in fact, a lot more. He is trying his best. Maybe you don't see how upset it's making him, but the rest of us all do." James tells him.

"You think I don't notice? You think I'm only thinking about myself here? How dare you say that? I care about him! I know he's upset, but you can't get anywhere without pushing a little bit further! No pain, no gain!" He mentions.

"Alright Kendall, that's enough. I mean, I was with you in the beginning. I thought it was a good idea and I thought it might help Carlos. But it's changing everything. Everyone is just getting more upset and you are turning into a jerk." Logan suddenly pipes up.

"I am not a jerk! I am trying to help Carlos. You might all be ready to give up on him, but I sure as hell am not!" He says as he walks towards Carlos and suddenly takes his plate away. Carlos looks up in surprise. "Come on, just ask for it back, Carlos. You know you can do it, we all do."

"Kendall, stop." Mrs. Knight asks, walking towards him.

"No, mom. He can do it. All you have to do is ask, Carlos." Carlos looks like he is struggling and sends a pleading look towards the others.

"Kendall…" Logan joins in.

"No. Come on, Carlos, just ask." Carlos gulps and opens his mouth.

"Kendall, stop being a jerk and give him his plate back." James tells him, but Kendall moves the plate away.

"No, why can't you just trust me with this? He can do it, I know he can. Well?" He asks the Latino, who is struggling hard to speak up, but closes his mouth again. "Oh come on!" Kendall suddenly yells, making Carlos whip his head back up at him in surprise. "It's simple; Kendall, can I have my plate? Or; Kendall, give me my plate. Or; Kendall, that's my plate, I'd like it back. There are so many ways to ask, just open your mouth and ask!" he shouts, making Carlos wince.

"Kendall, stop it right now!" Mrs. Knight shouts, but Kendall doesn't move.

"Come on, ask me. Ask me!" He taunts and Carlos flinches at the harsh tone of his voice. He casts his eyes to the table. "You're not even looking at me. Carlos, look at me. Look at me when I'm talking to you!" He yells and Carlos looks up with hurt in his eyes.

"That is enough!" James yells as he rushes towards Kendall and pulls him away from Carlos.

"What the hell, dude, let go of me." He asks, trying to pull his arm free from James' grasp.

"Not until you apologize to Carlos." The brunette tells him.

"Apologize? Why would I apologize? I'm just trying to help!"

"This isn't helping, dude. You're only making things worse." James warns him, gritting his teeth. He then pulls the plate out of his hands and walks towards Carlos. He puts on an apologetic smile and is about to set the plate down, when it is slapped out of his hands. Carlos flinches at the sound of the glass breaking on the floor and everything is quiet.

James slowly turns around to face Kendall, who sends him a challenging look.

"Oh, that is it!" With a battle cry, James lunges towards Kendall, making them both topple to the floor.

"Boys!" Mrs. Knight cries out as she jumps up from the table and runs over to them. Logan also jumps up and tries to pry them apart.

Carlos sits at the table, squeezing his eyes shut as the yelling fills his ears.

"Guys, knock it off!" Logan yells as he tries to pulls Kendall off of James as he is now on top. The two keep swinging pushes and try to hurt each other in every way they can, while still yelling and shouting.

"Stop fighting!" Mrs. Knight shouts and cries out when they knock over a lamp, making it shatter to the floor.

Carlos' breathing becomes laboured. His nostrils flare up as the shouting becomes louder and louder. He pulls up his hands and tries to drown out the noise by covering his ears. But it's not working.

Just then, a cry of pain makes him open his eyes with a gasp. He sees Logan holding a hand to his right eye on the floor as the other two just keep on going, with Mrs. Knight trying to stop them. He gets up, breathing faster and looking around, trying to figure out what to do. The shouting becomes too loud once again and he squeezes his shut in pain. Tears are starting to stream down his face and he opens his mouth. He clenches and unclenches his fists.

Everything is so loud, until a single voice cries out:

"Stop it!"

Everyone stops what they're doing right away. It's as if they are frozen as they stare in the direction the voice came from. With wide eyes they look at Carlos, who stands there with tears streaming down his face. He sobs and tries to breathe. He notices them all looking at him. He just shakes his head and runs out of the room.

It takes a while for them all to realize what just happened, before they scramble to get up and rush after him. But when they finally reach his room, they are met with a closed door. There's no lock on it, but as they try to juggle the doorknob, they can't get it open, no matter how hard they try. They knock and yell out his name.

But they don't receive a single response. For Carlos has curled up into a ball in the furthest corner of the room and has pushed a closet against the door, to keep it from opening. Tears are still rolling down his cheeks, while he bounces back and forth, hands clasping his knees tightly. If the others were closer they could have heard him still making a sound. Though it would kill them to realize he was muttering the words 'I'm sorry' over and over again.

**A/N Ok, so over here it is way too late for me still be writing. Getting up in the morning will be even harder than usual :P But I couldn't stop. It's not Sunday anymore here, but for you it is, so I have somewhat stuck to my deadline ;)**

**Thanks so much for all the responses on the last chapter I know the angst in this chapter isn't a lot, but I meant it that way ;)**

**I hope you like it! I'm not sure on what will happen the next chapter and can not make any promises for Carlos to be talking or not. Waiting for some inspiration to kick in, so you'll have to wait for it. Sorry!**

**Anyway, let me know your opinions on this chapter and I will talk to you soon!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	24. Chapter 24 Still the same

Chapter 24 Still the same

It's been about an hour since Carlos locked himself inside his room.

Logan and Katie have both tried to get him to come out, but there is no response from the other side of the door. James went into his own room, and slammed the door behind him. From down the hall, Logan and Katie wince at the stuff being strewn about the room, but keep their attention on getting to Carlos.

Downstairs, Kendall is sitting on the couch in silence with the TV on. He's not watching it though. His facial expression is hard and it is clear he has something on his mind. Mrs. Knight scolded him for what happened in disbelief right after Carlos ran up the stairs. She was in shock at what he managed to do after everything that happened. When she asked him to explain himself, he didn't answer.

Now Mrs. Knight stands in the kitchen, quietly cleaning up, ignoring her son sitting on the couch.

Kendall realizes how mad they all must be and after hearing his friend use his voice to get them to stop, it has slowly begun to sink in what he did. He never meant to loose his temper like that, even if it is part of his nature. He just couldn't handle all the frustration anymore and in the heat of the moment, he took it all out on Carlos and James. He was only doing what he thought was best, but the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes he went too far. He just wanted Carlos to talk again so badly, he lost control over his actions and made things much worse. It breaks his heart to know he's the reason Carlos has barricaded himself in his room.

Meanwhile upstairs, Katie tries desperately to get Carlos to open the door, while Logan watches her sadly.

"Come on, Carlos, please don't do this... You've made so much progress already, don't shut us out again..." She pleads near tears. Logan sighs.

"I don't think he's going to respond tonight, Katie. Let's just go downstairs and give him some time." He tells her, sounding defeated.

"But he can't give up now..." She says, her voice breaking. Logan takes her in his arms.

"I know, but he doesn't want to see anyone right now. I'm sure he'll be fine." He tries to assure her and leads her towards the stairs. He throws one more longing gaze at his door before heading down.

As they come down, Mrs. Knight looks at them expectantly. Logan just shakes his head. Her face falls, while Katie rushes forward and into her arms. Her mother tries to console her, while Logan sighs again and slowly walks towards the couch. He freezes for a moment when he sees Kendall there. But after hesitating a little, he moves to sit on the couch anyway. He shoots a small glance at the blond, but doesn't know what to say. Kendall still seems lost in thought.

After a while of sitting in silence, Kendall looks up.

"I know you're all mad at me right now, Logan. Hell, I'd be mad too." He says with a sad chuckle. Logan doesn't respond. "I just thought it would help, you know? You said yourself that he does want to talk, but he can't." Kendall argues and then lets out a long sigh. "I guess I just lost my patience... I wanted him to talk so badly, just hear his voice again..." He starts to explain, his voice slowly starting to crack. "It's so quiet in here without him and he made so much progress so fast, I just wanted to keep it going. And then it wasn't working and I got so frustrated..." He says, tears now starting to spill slowly as he closes his eyes for a moment to compose himself.

"I just... I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry..." He says in a small voice. "Logan? Logan, please say something... I can't handle even more silence..." He pleads softly, as he starts to sob.

Logan looks down and then turns his head to his friend. Without saying a word, he opens his arms and pulls the blond to his chest. Kendall sobs into his body and grips his shirt tightly. Logan puts his head on top of his. And everything had just been going so well...

Back upstairs, Carlos quietly sits in the corner of his room, hugging his knees to his chest as he listens to the crashing sounds coming from down the hall. He stares at the door, tears no longer falling and the apologies having ceased.

Suddenly the crashing stops and everything is silent. Carlos listens closely, but can't hear anything. He frowns and bites his lip. Somewhere in his gut, he can feel something is wrong. He doesn't know what it is, but it's there. This nagging feeling that something is about to happen. He waits for a moment, but then slowly gets to his feet. He moves towards the door and pushes the dresser out of the way. He carefully opens the door and pokes his head into the hall to see if anyone is there. When he sees it's empty, he cautiously walks down the hall.

He hear some strange sounds coming from downstairs and carefully looks over the banister. His eyes grow wide and concerned when he sees strong and fearless Kendall quietly sobbing in Logan's arms. He hesitates and walks towards the stairs. But then, he can feel his gut instinct telling him even stronger that something is wrong. But the crying Kendall can't be it. Logan seems to be fine and while Katie is crying in Mrs. Knight's arms, that's not it either. He turns around and frowns at the only closed door in the hall.

He turns his head towards his friends one more time and then cautiously approaches the door. He puts his ear on the door and listens for any sound. But it's dead silent. His heart starts to beat faster. What should he do? Maybe he should get his friends. But that might take too long and since he didn't see James down the stairs...

He holds a shaking hands out to the door handle and pushes it down. He's relieved it's not locked and opens the door slowly. He shuffles forward, his heart thumping in his chest. The room is dark, but he trudges forth cautiously. He looks around and worry fills his whole body when he sees all of James' things carelessly thrown through the room, some things already broken. A picture frame lies shattered on the floor, a picture of the four boys smiling still visible. Carlos moves on, searching for a sign of his friend. The bed is turned over, but when he walks closer, he can make out a pale hand lying next to it.

His heart pounds as he gets closer. His eyes shoot wide open at the sight of his friend lying on the floor, eyes closed and deathly pale, with some white pills surrounding his hand. He gasps and feels tears coming on. Then, he panics and swiftly turns around. He hurries for the stairs and runs down the steps.

He looks around the room, completely panicking. No one has noticed him yet, but he needs help. James needs help. He bounces on his feet and then rushes towards Logan. He'll know what to do. He starts to poke his shoulder, until Logan turns around, sounding annoyed. His face turns to shock when he sees who was poking him.

"Carlos, you're out of your room.." he says, a smile appearing. The others look up in surprise.

"Carlos?" Kendall asks in disbelief, sniffling a little still. "Carlos, I'm so sorry for what happened... I..." Logan holds up a hand to stop him and frowns.

Carlos impatiently bounces on his feet and seems frantic. Logan slowly gets up, starting to feel worried now as well.

"Carlos, what's wrong?" He asks in concern.

"Logan, what's happening?" Katie asks as she comes to stand with them. Carlos frantically looks between them and the stairs. Logan follows his gaze.

"I don't know... What's wrong, buddy? Did something happen?" He asks, as his heart beats faster. "Did something happen upstairs?"

Carlos bites his lip in frustration, this is taking too long. He looks back at the stairs again and suddenly grabs Logan's shirt and starts to pull him along.

"Woah, slow down, 'Litos..." He mentions as he tries to stop him. Carlos whimpers slightly in frustration and closes his eyes. It's for James...

He turns around, where everyone looks at him expectantly. He takes a deep breath.

"J..." he starts, before chickening out again. The other's eyes widen. Logan walks closer.

"What, what were you going to say?" he asks calmly, trying to hide his excitement."Carlos almost starts to cry with frustration, but looks up again.

"J-James..." He then spills out. Logan looks a little confused and tries to hide a smile.

"What about James, buddy?" He asks in slight awe of hearing his friend's voice.

"Pills..." He squeaks and Logan's face turns to horror. He snaps out of his excited daze and rushes up the stairs as fast as he can, taking two steps at once.

"Call 911!" he calls over his shoulder and Mrs. Knight jumps into action.

Katie and Carlos quickly head upstairs as well.

In James' room, Logan is already trying to slap his friend's face to wake him up.

"James, buddy, can you hear me? James?" He tries. "He's not responding." He tells Kendall, who fights the urge to roll his eyes in a 'duh' manner. He quickly puts his head to the brunette's chest. "He's still breathing." He grabs James' armpits. "Help me take him to the bathroom."

Kendall quickly grabs his legs and together they rush for the bathroom. Logan motions for the shower. "Just put him in the stall." He tells the blond and together they put him in an upright position in the shower. Logan stands next to him and turns on the water, making sure to use only the cold setting.

"Damn it, James..." Logan mutters under his breath as they pour the cold water on their friend. Katie anxiously stands by Kendall.

"Is he going to be okay?" Katie asks timidly. Kendall pulls her close to him.

"I don't know..." He tells her in honesty.

Carlos stands in the doorway, looking very worried as he watches James for a sign of life. Kendall looks over and finally notices him there, looking a little alone.

"Come here, buddy." He offers and holds out an arm. But Carlos just shakes his head and turns his attention to James again.

"Come on, James. Wake up..." Logan mutters as he keeps the cold stream going, not caring that his own clothes are starting to get wet.

Then, slowly, the pretty brunette starts to move. The others watch in silence, their hope going up. They sigh in relief when the brunette starts to cough and blinks heavily as he tries to get the cold water to stop crashing on his face. He limply holds up a hand to try and stop the water, but drops his hand again. When Logan notices, he turns the water off and slaps James in the face again.

"James, come on, wake up, buddy." He shouts in his face. James mumbles something and slowly opens his eyes.

"Logan..." He whispers and the once future doctor looks at him.

"Welcome back, bud." Logan tells him softly. When Logan turns around, he comes face to face with Carlos, who looks a bit unsure. His eyes motion towards James and Logan nods, stepping out of the way.

James' eyes open a little wider as Carlos walks towards him.

"You should thank him, James. If Carlos hadn't found you in time, you might have not woken up again." Logan announces, sounding disappointed in him.

Carlos slowly steps forward and then suddenly, James finds himself engulfed in a tight hug.

"Hi Jamie..." A voice whispers in his ear and his eyes widen in disbelief. Tears well up right away as Carlos lets go.

He is completely in shock as he watches his friend shyly walk away. Just then, Mrs. Knight steps into the doorway and leads in some paramedics. Carlos jumps and flees the room. Katie wants to follow him, but Logan shakes his head. She watches and sees he is still standing by the doorway, sneaking in a glance to see how James is doing.

James hardly even notices what they're doing as they check his vitals and help him onto a stretcher. In his mind the moment of a few seconds ago keeps replaying. Carlos talked to him. He actually talked to him.

When the paramedics guide him over the banister, he sees Carlos looking at him with worried eyes. Mrs. Knight agrees to go with James into the awaiting ambulance. Kendall and Katie watch him go from the front door, while Logan and Carlos stay upstairs. Logan stays in the bathroom for another moment, just staring at the place James was just in.

Carlos hesitatingly pokes his head inside and bites his lip as he looks at Logan. He shuffles forward, making Logan look up. He smiles when he sees who it is.

"That was a good thing you did, buddy. James is going to be fine, thanks to you." he quietly says. "I'm glad you used your voice. Are you going to talk again now?" He slowly asks, looking at Carlos with hope.

The Latino opens his mouth, but then closes it and looks down in guilt.

"It's okay, 'Litos. Just one step at a time, remember?" Logan assures him with a smile. He sighs and closes his eyes while he rests his head against the cold tiles of the bathroom. Suddenly, he feels someone cautiously shaking him. He opens his eyes and smiles at Carlos, who holds a towel out to him.

He looks down and sees that his clothes are wet. He chuckles and carefully takes the towel from his friend's hands.

"You really haven't changed, have you? You're still the lovable teddy bear you always were, caring so much about everyone around you." Logan tells him, a little sadly. Carlos frowns. "I'm okay, Carlos. I just... I don't get why James would do this. I mean, I know he was upset about what happened, but this..." He says, closing his eyes as he feels some anger coming up. "He is so selfish... How did he even get those pills? I didn't know he had trouble sleeping and now he goes and pulls something like this. It's just so frustrating!" He yells out as he fully stands and closes his eyes again, his hands holding a vice grip on the towel.

He nearly jumps when he feels a hand gently being put on his. He glances up and sees Carlos watching him with worry and a small smile. He sighs.

"It's just been a really long day..." Logan says, his bottom lip starting to quiver as he tries to hold it in. Carlos doesn't hesitate and pulls him into a hug. Logan slides to the floor as he breaks down, Carlos sliding right down with him. Logan sobs as he hears a soft tune being hummed in his ear, slowly calming down.

"Uh, Logan?" Katie's voice hesitatingly calls out. Carlos stops humming and Logan looks up. he sees Katie and Kendall both watching, looking a little guilty that they had to break up the moment. "We should go to the hospital too." She offers. Logan wipes his eyes and sniffles loudly.

"Yeah, of course." He says as he clears his throat and slowly gets up. He offers Carlos a hand and helps him up from the floor as well. "I uh, I better change first." He says, before heading out and towards his bedroom.

Carlos remains in the bathroom, an awkward silence falling over him and the Knight siblings.

"Carlos?" Katie quietly calls out. "I'm glad you talked today... It's good to hear your voice again." She tells him with a small smile. Carlos doesn't respond. He glances at Kendall, who seems lost in thought.

The Hispanic boy notices the guilt on his friend's face, but somehow can't manage to comfort him. He feels awkward around Kendall at the moment. He knows it wasn't his fault and hates that he is probably blaming himself. But like Logan said, it has been a long day and right now he doesn't know how to approach the blond.

When Logan is done, he walks back to the bathroom and they head downstairs. Even Carlos quietly shuffles after them.

"Okay, let's go." Logan says as they head for the door. Carlos stands back a little, watching as they open the door.

"Aren't you coming, Carlos?" Katie asks him. "It's okay. We're just going to visit James in the hospital." Carlos' eyes widen at that and he walks backwards. Katie holds out her hand, but he shakes his head furiously and keeps walking backwards with fear in his eyes.

"He's probably still weary of the hospital since what happened when he was there." Logan explains.

"So now what?" Katie asks. "We can't just leave him here by himself."

"I'll stay." Kendall suddenly mentions. Logan looks up in surprise. "He probably doesn't want to see me anyway." He adds quietly.

"Uh, okay. Well, uh, we'll make sure not to stay too long. We'll call you, let you know how he's doing." Logan tells him. Kendall nods and looks down.

"L-Logie?" Logan suddenly hears from behind him. He looks at Carlos in surprise and watches as the boy fiddles with his helmet straps, looking a bit unsure.

It takes a moment for him to find his voice, since he is amazed and so proud that Carlos is suddenly talking to them again.

"Uh, it's okay, Carlos. Katie and I are going to see James, but we'll be right back, okay? Kendall will stay with you, so don't worry." He says with a shaking voice and a smile.

Carlos still looks a bit unsure as he glances at Kendall and then nods slowly.

The minute they close the door, Katie and Logan both let out a deep breath and then smile, before heading towards the car.

In the meantime, it is silent inside the house again. Kendall doesn't know what to say, while Carlos looks at his shoes.

"Uh, you uh..." Kendall starts, making Carlos glance up. He sighs and rubs the back of his neck. "Are you hungry? I-I could make you something if y-you want..." He offers. Carlos looks at him in surprise and then slowly nods. Kendall gives a small smile and heads for the kitchen.

"Sit down, I'll see what we have." Carlos slowly sits down and watches as Kendall rummages through the fridge. "Oh, uh, we still have some dinosaur chicken left?" He offers. Carlos' eyes light up and he nods. "Ok, chicken dinosaur it is." Kendall tells him and grabs the bowl and pours it on a plate to put in the oven.

He turns around and the awkward silence is back. Only the sound of the oven is heard.

"It'll take a few minutes." Kendall tells him. He stands in the kitchen, unsure of what to say. He sighs. "I'm sorry for what happened today, Carlos." He quietly says, looking down at his feet. "I'm not sure what came over me. I just wanted to help you and really thought I was doing the right thing. But I got frustrated when it wasn't working and I just... I'm really sorry for yelling and for trying to force you to talk. I shouldn't have done that and I shouldn't have said that you were stubborn. I know you're trying really hard. James was right all along. It was a stupid idea to begin with and I shouldn't have let it go that far..." He admits.

"It's okay..." A timid voice tells him. He slowly looks up at Carlos. He gulps.

"So you're really ready to talk now, huh?" He asks and smiles at Carlos, who shyly looks away. "I'm so happy to hear your voice again... It's not as loud as I'm used to, but I'm sure that will come in time." He says happily.

When the dinosaur chicken pieces are done, Kendall and Carlos eat them in silence together. But it's no longer awkward. Kendall is happy that his friend is slowly coming back to them and hearing him finally start to talk is unbelievable, but amazing.

Carlos is glad he made his friends happy. He longs to use his voice to tell them what he is thinking and what he went through. But he just can't. Everytime he tries to, he has flashbacks of wht happened to him. Plus, somewhere deep down, that nagging feeling he had right before he found James, is still lingering. He doesn't know what it is, but something is going to happen. Something bad...

**A/N Yay, he finally talked I hope I made some people happy about that **

**I love writing this story so much, with all the drama and slow progress Carlos is making. I am going to add some more angst in the next few chapters though and check in with Lucy Parker. But let me know what you think so far and if you have requests for this story, just let me know **

**You guys inspire me to write more and I am grateful to each and every one of you, I hope you know that!**

**Love, Baxxie**


	25. Chapter 25 Promises

Chapter 25 Promises

James tosses and turns in his bed. He moans when he finally starts to wake up. His vision swims for a moment and he blinks heavily, trying to clear it. When he can finally see straight again, he is instantly confused to find himself surrounded by white walls. Definitely not his bedroom.

He tries to sit up, but his stomach churns right away. He moans heavily and puts a hand on it.

"James, you're up." A voice beside him calls out. He weakly lifts his head and finds Katie happily smiling at him. He frowns.

"Where am I?" He asks her and she looks over him.

"You're at the hospital, James." He turns his head to find Logan staring at him with a hard expression on his features. He still looks confused. Logan sighs. "They had to pump your stomach. That's why it feels so bad and you feel weak. Why did you do it, James? Couldn't you have just talked to us first? Don't you trust us anymore?" Logan shakes his head.

James gulps as he tries to figure out what Logan's talking about.

"Why would you try to kill yourself and where did you even get those sleeping pills? I thought we went through this with the ecstasy. You promised you wouldn't hide things like this from us anymore. Did you honestly think you were the only one going through a hard time?" Logan turns his head away for a second. "And to think Carlos was the one to find you. I always wanted him to start talking, but this wasn't the way to get him to do it."

Logan leans forward and stares into James' eyes as if trying to read his mind.

"I just want to know what you thought you were doing, James. Just tell us why." He tells him and waits for an answer.

James digs through his mind and finally finds it all flashing back to him. The awkwardness at dinner, Carlos not eating, the fight with Kendall and then Carlos fleeing the room. He remembers running into his own room and throwing everything around in frustration. He felt so tired afterwards. That fight shouldn't have happened. He wanted to help Carlos, not drive him away again. He sat there and eyed the bottle of sleeping pills he had gotten from his doctor about a week before.

He looks at his sheets for a moment and eyes Katie to his right. She's also staring at him, eyes full of worry and anxious to find out what was going through his head.

He sighs. "I wasn't trying to kill myself…" He trails off quietly. "I just wanted to sleep. I felt so tired, but I couldn't calm down, I felt so angry and I thought I could relax this way…"

"By swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills? You could have killed yourself, James!" Logan yells out. "You should be glad Carlos came and found you or you wouldn't be here talking to us right now."

James fidgets his sheets guiltily. "I never meant for that to happen. I just wanted to sleep and one didn't work, so I took another and another and pretty soon the bottle was empty and I couldn't feel my body anymore. I couldn't feel anything anymore." He finishes in a near whisper. He looks at Logan. "I wasn't trying to kill myself, Logan and I'm sorry Carlos had to see me like that. But do you have any idea how good that felt? Not being able to feel anything, even if it lasted just a moment?" He asks in all honesty.

Logan's face turns to shock. "You can't be serious…" He quietly mutters.

"I don't feel like dying anytime soon, Logan. But things have been so hard lately and I haven't been able to sleep. That's why I asked my doctor for a prescription. But the feelings stayed, you know, and with the way we were handling Carlos and seeing that sad look on his face. I just didn't know how to deal with it anymore. I mean, I thought we drove him away again." James argues. Logan narrows his eyes.

"And talking to us never crossed your mind?" He asks, anger and disappointment shining through. He stands up and runs a hand through his hair. "I just can't…" He begins to say and then turns towards James again. "Did you ever think that maybe you're not the only one who's going through a hard time, huh? Why else do you think Kendall started to act like such a jerk? He became desperate. Desperate to get his friend back and frustrated that it wasn't helping and maybe making things worse. Carlos still refuses to touch Mrs. Knight, how do you think she feels?" He rants as he paces back and forth. "And Katie, too." He says, pointing towards the teen, who looks up with big eyes, afraid to say anything in return.

"You didn't see the look on her face when he didn't even open the door for her anymore today. He has pushed her away so many times. And Carlos…" He shakes his head. "Just think about what he's going through. He is trying so hard to please us; it is so frustrating for him not to be able to just jump back to being himself. It's so hard to witness that, but he doesn't give up, he just keeps on trying, no matter how hard it is for him. He actually talked to save your life, James. He came downstairs after he found you and when he couldn't get the message through visually, he said your name, followed by the word pills."

James' stomach flips for a different reason then and he tries hard not to spill any tears.

"He forced himself to talk to save your life, James. I guess I should congratulate you on that level, right? You got him to talk after all this time. It only took you nearly killing yourself to do it. Bravo." He says, finally stopping and staring at his friend for a moment. "I just don't… I'm sorry…" he says, before rushing out of the room. Katie looks after him in shock for a moment, before getting up and running after him.

"Logan, wait!" She calls out and nearly bumps into her mother, who is just about to head inside the room with a cup of coffee in her hand. She throws them a confused look. Her face turns into one of relief when she sees James awake. But a faint smile fades when she sees his hunched shoulders.

"James? Sweetie?" She calls out. The moment he lifts his head, she gasps and rushes to his side. "Oh honey…" She soothes as he all but throws himself into her arms, immediately releasing a pool of tears.

Back inside the hospital, Katie runs as fast as she can to keep up with Logan. She keeps calling his name, but he is making no effort to show he heard her. She follows him outside, where she soon sees him sinking onto a bench and letting out a deep breath. She runs over and tries to catch her breath.

"Wow, who knew you ran so fast…" She tells him with a slight smile. He closes his eyes for a moment.

"I don't mean to be rude, Katie, but I kind of wanted to be alone." He tells her in a monotone voice. She raises her eyebrows.

"Uhm, after the speech you just gave James on not discussing his feelings? I don't think so." She tells him and stares at him, while sitting down. He doesn't respond, he just stares ahead. "You know, you seem to know an awful lot about how everyone else is doing. But what about you? How are you feeling about all of this?"

He is quiet for a moment and then leans his head back.

"You know, I can't help but think back to how things were before all of this happened. Sometimes, I close my eyes and imagine we're back at the Palm Woods and Gustavo is yelling at us to try harder and we deliberately don't." he says with a smile and a chuckle. But it fades much too fast. "But then I open my eyes and realize it's just a dream. Carlos was gone for two years and I was so glad we got him back, but I realize we never fully got him back in the first place. And we never might." He says, his voice full of emotion. Katie listens in silence as he says the words she has felt from the start.

"I swear I sometimes see a glimpse of the old Carlos in there. It comes out like a twinkle in his eye, a look of mischief displayed in a smirk and even the worried look he gives and hugs the person who is sad. When he hugged me today and started to hum that song, I just closed my eyes and hoped that when I opened them, he was right there with a smile and a joke to cheer me up." He smiles sadly. "I just wish that just once, one of those wishes could come true." He softly says.

Katie scoots closer and lays her head on his shoulder. He sighs and lays his head on top of hers.

"The old Carlos really is in there, Logan. We just have to look really hard. I see him, too, sometimes. I want to reach in and pull him out. But it doesn't go that fast. He needs time. I wish it could go faster sometimes, like Kendall. But just hearing him talk today, that was just amazing." Katie finishes with a smile. Logan smiles as well. "Do you think he'll keep doing that now? And maybe his recovery will speed up a little?"

"I don't know." He answers in all honesty.

"Maybe it could go faster if his family were here." She mutters sadly. "I just don't get why no one can find them. It's like they don't want to be found or disappeared or something." They're both quiet for a moment. "You don't think they did, right? Disappear?"

Logan frowns. "No, no, I don't think they did. They probably just wanted to get over what happened, you know. They didn't want to be reminded of Carlos, so they moved away as far as possible. Maybe they're in Europe or something or some island no one can find them at." He tells her.

"Yeah." She agrees softly. "Do you think James will be okay?" She carefully asks him.

"Yeah, I think he'll be okay. He just needed to realize what he did." He explains, his expression hardening again.

"You were pretty mad at him. Do you think you'll be able to forgive him?" She asks quietly.

"I…" He pauses and sighs. "I'm not mad at him." He continues. "I just wish he would have told us what he was going through. Just like Kendall. Instead they both make these weird decisions and almost drive Carlos back to where he started."

"I think all of you need to talk more. Bottling things up like this can't be healthy. And I don't like seeing Carlos so sad and worried about you guys. He should be happy. And I think us being happy will help him be happy, too." Katie simply explains. Logan frowns a little, but lets it sink in.

"You know something? That makes perfect sense." He says, but Katie doesn't respond. He looks down for a moment and smiles when he sees her eyes closed. He holds the peacefully sleeping girl close to him and kisses the top of her head, before laying his head back down of her's.

He sits there for another moment, before gathering her up in his arms and heading back inside. He is about to step into James' room, when he sees Mrs. Knight holding him and rubbing soothing circles on his back. Logan casts his eyes down and then slowly knocks on the door.

James quickly looks away and wipes his red shot eyes.

"Uh, Katie fell asleep outside. I uh, I guess I should probably take her home." He announces, glancing towards James once more, but then turning his attention back to Mrs. Knight. The woman stands up.

"I'm just going to stay here for a little while. James needs to stay overnight and can probably go home tomorrow. I called Brooke and she'll be here in a few hours. She was staying in San Francisco apparently." The woman tells him and he nods.

"I'll just get going then and see how Carlos and Kendall are doing." He says with a smile and turns his back to the bed.

"Uh, Logan?" James suddenly pipes up. Logan stops and turns back around. James eyes him nervously.

"Uh, why don't I take Katie for a minute?" Mrs. Knight offers. Logan wants to protest, but she already takes the girl out of his arms and walks out. He turns back to his friend, who fidgets with his sheets.

"Look, I know you probably hate me right now for what I did. But Logan, I swear I wasn't trying to kill myself. I'm not sure what happened and it scared the hell out of me. I just want you to know that I'm really sorry and I understand if you never want to talk to me again." He says, looking away. Logan walks closer and slowly sinks into the chair next to his bed.

"I don't hate you, James. I could never hate you, you're one of my best friends. I'm not even mad. I was for a minute, but only because I was so worried about you. I thought we almost lost you, buddy. And I was so scared, because you looked so pale and lifeless and after everything that happened I really did think you tried to… well, you know." James still looks at his sheets. "But seriously, buddy, you need to communicate with us about how you're feeling. I realize none of us have been doing that lately and it's not good."

James slowly looks up and nods. "So promise me you're never going to do something like this again." Logan insists and grabs James' hand.

"I promise…" James quietly answers, making Logan smile a little. He even pulls James into a hug. The taller brunet is surprised, but holds on tightly. This is something they have both needed for a while. When they let go, neither of them have dry eyes, but they smile slightly.

"So uhm, Katie made me realize something when we were talking outside." Logan mentions. James eyes him curiously. "She mentioned that she thinks that Carlos can't be happy when we're not happy. And you know, what? I think she's right." He tells his friend, who frowns.

"So, what? You think we should pretend to be happy for Carlos' sake?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No, we'll never be able to fool him. He's always been able to read people's feelings. No, I think it's time we really start to live again. We've all been so stressed out and of course it's normal with all we've been through. But we've been so intent on helping Carlos, we've started to ignore ourselves." Logan explains.

"So, what do we do?" James asks him.

"I think it's about time we start calling in some help. I mean, the doctors suggested a therapist for Carlos from the start. I know we all agreed we didn't want that. But maybe therapy is something we could all use, you know? Someone else we can talk to about what we're going through. And of course we should talk to each other as well and try to relax. Now that Carlos is slowly talking again, at least some weight has been lifted from our shoulders." He suggests. James looks a bit hesitant. "Look, I know it's weird, talking to someone you don't know about your feelings. But look at what has already happened. I think we need the help. If we do, maybe Carlos can progress faster."

James sighs and nods. "I'll do anything to help Carlos. And if us and him having therapy will help, then that's what I'll do." Logan smiles.

He smiles even wider when James suddenly yawns. He pats his friend's hand.

"Get some rest, James. We'll talk more tomorrow." He says, getting up with a smile, as if nothing ever happened.

"Hey, Logan?" The brunet turns around. "I really am sorry for what I did. I know it was stupid and I promise it won't happen again."

Logan nods. "I know you are and it better not or I'll send Carlos in for one of his bear hugs." He threatens. James raises his eyebrows.

"How is that a threat?" He questions in confusion.

"It's not. I just know you don't want to miss out on those." Logan tells him with a wink. James smiles and nods in agreement. "Go to sleep, Jamie. I'll see you in the morning. Oh and by the way, once you get home, you and Kendall are going to have a long talk as well. He didn't even come today, because he thinks you wouldn't want to see him. You're not the only one who thinks one of his friends hates him." Logan informs him. James nods again, which is followed by another yawn. Logan chuckles.

"Yeah, goodnight, buddy." Logan tells him and officially walks out the door. James hardly waves at him, before falling asleep.

As Logan walks into the hallway, he is not even surprised to find Mrs. Knight sitting on a hospital chair right outside the room, with a still slumbering Katie in her arms. He smirks and moves to take the teen from her. The woman smiles tiredly.

"You know, I could stay here. You could go home to rest." He offers.

"No, honey, you go. I'm sure Carlos misses you." She says with a sad smile. "Besides, I promised Brooke I'd look after him until she gets here."

He forces a smile back and nods. "Okay, well, I guess we'll see you tomorrow then."

She nods. He gives her one more encouraging smile and then walks off.

_Meanwhile, outside the hospital…_

Two figures sit in a dark car, blending in perfectly with the surrounding environment. No one would ever expect these individuals to be any different than the random person walking outside.

"Aw, look at the cute puppy on the right. He's so cute… Can we get a puppy?" The woman asks, pulling on her husband's sleeve. He shrugs her off as he stares through his binoculars. "Ooh, maybe we could get two. They could play together and be all cute and never have to be lonely. Wouldn't that be great?" She gushes, but he ignores her.

He stares intently at the hospital, trying to find a familiar face. Then, she gasps and pulls harder on his sleeve. He finally gets annoyed and puts the binoculars down and looks at her.

"What?"

"That boy over there. He is holding the cutest little girl. She's adorable. Maybe we could adopt her." She tells him as she points towards the right of the car, right at the parking lot. He is about to yell at her, when he sees who she is pointing at.

He stares for a moment and then an eerie smile forms on his features.

"Honey? What is it? Was I right? She's adorable, right?" The woman asks.

"Yeah and she is going to lead us directly towards your favorite teddy bear." He tells her. It takes a moment to sink in. But then she claps her hands excitedly.

"Really? We're really going to see him?" he nods with a huge smile and starts the car. "Oh my god… I can't believe it. I've missed him so much. I just want to hug him all day."

"Well, you're about to get your wish." He says, before driving off and following the car in front of them unseen.

**A/N I really shouldn't be up right now :P I have to get up early tomorrow. But I suddenly got this wave of inspiration and I had to write it down.**

**So sorry for the cliffhanger :P I had to do this. And you didn't really think only good things were left now, right? ;)**

**Thank you for your support on this story. I love writing it and exploring everyone's different way of dealing with things. We're about to delve into another angst part of the story. Not sure what's going to happen yet, so this is going to be just as much a surprise as it is for all of you ;)**

**Hope you're all enjoying it. I'm going to bed now, laughing about Carlos and his speedo :P Lol. He might have a better tan (not, because the tan lines were still visible underneath that way too tight speedo), but those things don't look right on any man, no matter how hot their body is :P Besides, it made his thingie look really small, lol :P Hoping he just tucks it in well, because other pictures have made it seem he's bigger than the others. Sorry, very random comment there. I'll just go to sleep now :P**

**Love, Baxxie**


	26. Chapter 26 Warning signs

Chapter 26 Warning signs…

As Logan pulls back up at the house, he smiles at the still sleeping Katie next to him. He turns the engine off and gently shakes her.

"Katie? Wake up, we're home." He quietly tells her. She just grumbles and turns around. He chuckles slightly. "Come on, kiddo, I think Carlos and Kendall are waiting for us." He mentions as he unbuckles his seatbelt and opens the car door.

Katie does hear this last comment and slowly opens her eyes. She stretches her limbs and slowly gets out of the car herself. She follows Logan as he heads for the front door, when she has the strange feeling she's being watched.

She turns around and finds the street deserted, safe for a few parked cars. She frowns and is about to turn around when she sees movement from the corner of her eyes in one car. She quickly turns around again, but sees nothing in the windows of the car parked not too far from them.

"Katie? Are you just going to stand there all day or are you coming inside?" Logan asks with a smirk. She frowns again, but chooses to head inside. She looks over her shoulder one more time, before following Logan through the open door. "You okay?" He asks her. She just nods.

"Yeah, just thought I saw something. But I guess I was wrong, so never mind." She says and throws him a smile. He raises an eyebrow and chuckles.

"Okay then. Let's go see what Kendall and Carlos are up to." He announces as they head further in.

They can hear loud blasting sounds coming from the TV. As they walk over, they can see the screen of Battleblast 4 still flashing with the words 'Game Over' along with Kendall's name. Logan smirks.

"Well, looks like Kendall needs some more practice." He chuckles softly and looks over at the wiped out pair sleeping on the couch.

"Yeah, but at least they seem to have made up." Katie pipes up. Logan nods and grabs some blankets from the back of the couch and covers his friends with it. He then turns off the game console and the TV, leaving only a small light coming from the lamp beside the TV. The room is huddled in full silence.

"Come on, let's go to bed." Logan suggests with a yawn. Katie nods, but then looks towards the front door with a worried look. Something is off, she can sense it. "Katie, you coming?" He asks her at the foot of the stairs. She turns to him.

"Yeah…" She trails off and follows him, trying to forget about the ominous feeling poking at her senses.

While Logan and Kendall sleep peacefully, both Katie and Carlos can't help but toss and turn.

They are right to be concerned, as the dark car is parked just far enough from the house not be seen by any of the residents.

"So, can we go get him now?" A high female voice asks in excitement. The male next to her sighs as he holds his binoculars in place.

He sighs again. "No, we can't go in now. We have to wait for the right moment. And when it arrives, we can go in and get you your teddy bear." He says with a menacing grin.

"Oh, I can't wait. I just want to hold him and cuddle him and make love to him all day long." She says lovingly. He grins wider.

"Oh, you'll get the chance for that. And so much more…" He ends in a whisper as his smile vanishes and he grips the binoculars so hard, his knuckles turn white.

At that same moment, Carlos and Katie shoot awake, sweat dripping down their faces and their eyes wide awake. Katie grabs a stuffed animal Carlos once gave her, and squeezes it tightly as she tries to go back to sleep.

Carlos looks over at the still peaceful sleeping Kendall. He bites his lip, but then scoots closer and carefully leans in to him. He stiffens when Kendall suddenly moves and wraps his arms around the Latino. But instead of fleeing, he snuggles into his arms, putting his head on the blonde's chest for some needed protection.

_The next morning…_

Everyone is dressed and ready for the day. Carlos and Katie are playing video games on the couch, while Kendall and Logan clean up the house a little. Carlos still isn't saying much, but some quiet words or sentences here and there have everyone jumping for joy.

"So, have you thought about what you're going to say to James when he comes home this afternoon?" Logan questions his friend as they clean up the kitchen.

Kendall sighs. "Not sure. I guess we'll see when he gets here." He says with a shrug.

Just then, the door handle of the front door is jiggled. Carlos shoots up from the couch and slowly starts to walk backwards towards the staircase.

"Carlos, just take it easy. It might be mama Knight." Logan tries to assure. A loud knock is heard then, which has Carlos screaming and he runs up the stairs in near tears.

"Carlos…" Kendall calls out after him, before opening the door.

"Oh, Kendall. I am so sorry, I couldn't find my keys." Mrs. Knight announces as Kendall lets her in. "I know, I know, we're early, but look who's home?" She tells with a big smile. She walks inside and waits, until a nervous looking James follows her with a small smile.

"James! You're early!" Katie shouts as she runs up to him and engulfs him in a tight hug. His smile grows as he hugs her back.

"Yeah, didn't feel much like staying in there any longer." He says with a wink. Logan throws him a smile.

"Feels like forever since we last saw you." Logan jokes and James just grins. Then he turns around and comes face to face with Kendall.

Both awkwardly stand in the hall and stare at the floor.

"Uh, so, I'm glad you're okay." Kendall sheepishly says as he rubs the back of his neck.

"Thanks." James answers. "I am really sorry for scaring everyone." He adds.

An awkward silence follows.

"Okay, you two can talk this out later. Right now, let's celebrate James' home coming with some sandwiches." Mrs. Knight announces and everyone's face lights up. Then she frowns. "Where's Carlos?"

Logan and Kendall share a look. "Uh, he kind of freaked out when you knocked and then ran upstairs." Kendall tells her. She looks down guiltily.

"Oh, I guess I should have called, huh?" She asks quietly.

"No, mom. It's not your fault." Kendall tries to tell her. "He's been a little on edge all morning. Not sure why."

"Oh. Well, uh, could one of you assure him that everything is fine and that I'm making sandwiches?" She asks with a smile. Logan nods, but before he can rush off, James stops him.

"I'll go. I need to talk to him anyway." He announces. Logan shrugs and lets him go.

Kendall watches his mother closely as she starts to take out everything she needs for the sandwiches, acting as if nothing is wrong.

"Mom?" He asks, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" She tells him, putting on another big smile. He frowns as he can see right through her happy façade.

"But..." He starts.

"Just go wash up for lunch, okay?" She asks him. "Oh and thank you for cleaning up." She adds, before turning back to her task at hand.

He sighs and then looks down as Katie puts her hand on his arm.

"She'll be okay, big brother." She assures him with a smile. He smiles back, but can't help but stay worried for her.

Katie turns away and stares through the window for a moment, that eerie feeling still lingering in the pit of her stomach.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kendall asks her suddenly as he stands behind her. "You seem a little distracted."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just uh, thinking about some stuff I guess. It's nothing." She tells her big brother with a nervous smile.

"Okay then. I'll just go wash up." He says with a frown.

Katie bites her lip, before turning away from the window with reluctance.

James slowly walks down the hall of the first floor and sighs before carefully knocking on Carlos' door.

"Carlos, buddy? It's James." He announces, before slowly opening the door with a smile. "Carlos?" he asks again when he looks around the room. He feels panic set in when he doesn't see his friend in the room. "Carlos?" He calls out a little louder as his heart starts to pound.

Just then he hears a sniffle from further inside the room. He walks towards the sound and his heart drops.

"Oh, buddy…" He nearly whispers when he sees a trembling Carlos in the corner of his room, knees pulled up to his chest and tears falling freely down his face.

He rushes over and gets to his knees immediately. But the moment he gets close, the smaller man whimpers and scoots away.

"No, no, no, hey, come on. It's me, buddy, it's James. I'm not going to hurt you." He tries, when he suddenly looks up.

"Jamie?" He whispers in a small voice.

James smiles at him with eyes full of concern. "Yeah, I'm right here."

"You're okay…" Carlos whispers as he suddenly throws himself into James' arms. The taller man gulps with shock, but hugs the man back as he sobs into the strong embrace.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks to you. Is that why you were crying? Over me?" He carefully asks. Carlos looks up with a sniffle and shakes his head. James frowns. "Well, then what happened?"

Carlos quickly pulls away and hugs his knees again, his gaze avoiding James' eyes.

"Carlos? I-I know you're not ready to talk about everything yet. But you know it might help you feel better?" He offers. "But I'm not going to push you into it. If you don't want to talk, then…"

"I'm scared…" He suddenly whispers, interrupting James, who looks at him in amazement.

"You-you're scared? Of what, buddy? You know you're safe here with us. Nothing is going to happen to you, everything is fine." He tries to assure, but Carlos just shakes his head and whimpers a little. "What, did something happen?"

But before Carlos even has a chance to answer, Mrs. Knight calls from downstairs.

"Guys, I have to go to the store for a little bit. We ran out of mustard for the sandwiches. I'll be right back!" She calls. James notices Carlos tense up and trying to crawl further into the wall. He frowns.

"Okay, mom!" Kendall's voice suddenly sounds from the hallway.

"'Litos, I'll be right back, okay?" James mentions, but Carlos doesn't even seem to hear him anymore as he has started to rock back and forth. He slowly gets up and takes one last look at his upset friend, before closing the door behind him.

He watches as Kendall exits the bathroom. He jumps when he sees James suddenly next to him. He grabs his chest and laughs a little.

"Jesus, dude. Don't scare me like that." He jokes, but James notices it's a little forced because he is still uncomfortable.

"Yeah, hey, did something happen while I was gone? With Carlos, I mean?" he asks and Kendall frowns.

"Uh, no. I mean, we talked a little and then we played videogames and fell asleep on the couch after he kicked my butt." He ends with some bitterness. James tries hard not to laugh, but keeps it in.

"So, but he was okay?" James asks again.

"Yeah." Kendall replies. "Well, he has been kind of on edge today, but maybe he just had a bad dream or something. Probably the same dream Katie had, since she's been acting just as weird." James frowns again as Kendall walks towards the stairs.

"But what…" They are both interrupted by the doorbell ringing. They frown at each other, while Logan hurries for the door.

"I got it!" The taller men slowly ascend the staircase. Katie gets up from her seat on the couch and walks backwards, while she's not sure why.

Carlos can feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up straight. He breathes heavier and feels himself trembling. He gets up from the floor and slowly looks around for a place to hide. His eyes land on his closet/playroom. Without knowing why, he practically runs inside the extra room and barricades the door with anything he can find.

Logan slowly opens the door halfway and stares at the two strangers in front of him.

"Uh, can I help you?" The man smiles at him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Our car broke down and my wife and I would really like to use your phone." He says. Logan stares both of them down. The man seems a little odd, with sunglasses and a cap. His smile doesn't look sincere, while the woman laughs and giggles at a butterfly flying past her. She also wears sunglasses and a large summer hat, which she keeps low over her eyes.

"Well, I am sorry to hear that. Maybe you could use your cellphones." Logan offers with a polite smile and is about to close the door, when the man puts his foot in between.

"Well, unfortunately we don't have cellphones." The man says as Logan tries to put on another forced smile.

"And our phone is not working at the moment, so…" Logan says as he moves to close the door again. The man sticks in his hand this time.

"Is there a problem here?" James asks as he walks up behind Logan. Logan breathes a sigh of relief to see his tall and muscled friends walk up.

The man smirks suddenly.

"Oh, no, no problem here. We were just asking to use your phone for a moment and your friend was about to let us in." He says in a low voice, making Logan shiver.

"Don't let them in…" Katie's very scared voice suddenly whimpers from somewhere behind them. Kendall turns around to find her.

"Katie? What's wrong?" He asks as he looks for her.

"Don't let them in…" She repeats.

"If we're going to have a problem here…" James mentions as he grabs hold of the door. He flexes his muscles.

"James, don't…" Katie whimpers in the background as he moves to open the door wider.

"Katie, what's going on?" Kendall asks again.

James starts to move the door as if in slow-motion.

"James, noooo!" Katie yells, right before the man grins evilly and pushes James inside with the gun he pulls out from under his jacket.

"Should have listened to sweet little Katie, James. Didn't your mother ever tell you not to open the door for strangers? Come on, Molly. We're going to see your teddy bear."

He puts on one last grin as he leads his squealing girlfriend into the house and closes the door behind him.

**A/N I'm sorry. This took forever to write, I have rewritten this like four times now and I'm still not sure if I like it. But I didn't want to keep anyone waiting anymore.**

**I hope you guys like it, please let me know what you think Any feedback is welcome, so just hit that review button **

**Thanks for your support in this story and my others. By the way, if anyone has a Carlos angst/drama one-shot request or idea, let me know. Because I am still suffering from writer's block and even all the ideas that used to clog up my head are just fading out. So, just pm me with any Carlos angst/drama idea **

**Anyway, still going through some stuff, which is probably causing all the blockage. Trying to write in the meantime, but also so excited now for the new BTR season to start! It's making me very happy and helping me go through my crappy days, so thank you to them (even though they will never read this).**

**Sorry for yet another cliffhanger, I just had to do it. But I will try to update sooner this time.**

**Love, Baxxie**


	27. Chapter 27 Reunited

Chapter 27 Reunited

It's been a few minutes since the strange people entered the house. The man has his gun trained on the group as the woman closes the door. The group walks backwards with their hands up, while Katie has grabbed on to Kendall from behind for safety.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" James angrily demands. The man grins menacingly and then starts to laugh. James frowns at him. "What's so funny?"

"You want to know what we want? You know what we want." The man states.

The woman suddenly giggles with glee and removes her disguise. Logan gasps right away as the image of the woman clicks in his mind.

"I'm going to go look for him." She tells the man and kisses his cheek. Then she claps her hands eagerly as she practically skips away. "Teddy? Oh teddy bear? Guess who's here?" They hear her shout happily inside the house.

"What is going on?" Kendall hisses in a whisper towards Logan, who looks a lot more scared now and he didn't miss the gasp either.

"It's them…" Logan whispers back as the guy suddenly pulls out a cell phone and starts to make a quick call with his free hand.

"Who's them?" James whispers in confusion when the man hangs up and grins even wider. Then he starts to take off his own disguise and Kendall sees it.

"Oh my god…" He whispers in shock.

"Hey! What's with the whispering over there? Didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude?" The man spats as he steps towards them. Everyone stops talking right away.

It suddenly dawns on Kendall what the man said. His mom. His mom can get them out!

Logan has seen the look of realization and relief on Kendall's face and nudges him. When Kendall looks over the brunet gives him a questioning look. Kendall just shakes his head, signaling now is not the time to explain.

They stare ahead in confusion as the man just stands in front of them while eying the front door.

"What is he waiting for?" James then whispers, causing the man to whip his head around angrily.

"Hey! I said, no whispering!" He yells as he draws his fist back. James gives the broad and large man a challenging look while waiting for the blow.

A sudden knock on the door has everyone looking up in confusion. The man narrows his eyes at James one last time, before grinning wildly.

"Finally. Let the real show begin." He says in a haunting voice as he opens the door.

Everyone's eyes widen as they witness the four huge muscle guys walk over the threshold, holding large dufflebags.

"Come on in, boys." The man tells them as he lets them in with a smile.

"Who the hell are these guys?" James whispers to the others while Katie suddenly whimpers.

"I'm scared, Kendall…" Kendall holds her close right away as they all keep a close eye on the four new men who grin at the scared looking group.

"It's going to be okay, baby sister. We'll get out of this." He whispers as he kisses the top of her head.

"Okay, boys, first things first. Tie up these kids in the living room and get the rest of the room ready. I want to make sure everything is perfect for the show to start." The man orders while giving the group another menacing grin.

Everyone protests as they are pulled away from each other by the heavy duty men and pushed into the living room with force. Thin ropes are used to bind their hands together behind their backs.

"Watch it!" Kendall yells as one guy pulls his ropes too tight. They are all surprisingly placed on their own large couch after the Freight Train like men have turned it to face away from the TV. They look around in confusion as the kitchen is cleared of furniture, save for one chair, which is set in the middle of the now open space.

"What are they doing?" Kendall asks in a whisper.

"I don't know. And I'm not sure I want to…" Logan says in a frightened whisper as he watches one of the duffle bags opening up. His eyes widen as they take out heavy silver chains and a collection of weapons. They range from a baseball bat to a huge glistening knife.

When they are done setting everything up, the 'leader' stands in front of them with a smile.

"What do you think? Perfect right? Perfect setting for the show. You know, I've never had a live audience before. This will be so much fun." The man finishes with a toothy grin.

When the man turns away for a small moment as one of his men asks something, James quickly turns to the others.

"What the hell is he talking about? What show and live audience?" He frantically asks them, panic slowly setting in.

But before anyone can answer, the man turns to face them again.

"You know, there is just one thing missing here. I mean, how can we do a show without the star?" He asks with a glint in his dark eyes.

Meanwhile, the blond haired woman searches everywhere downstairs and when she can't find any sign of her 'teddy bear', she makes her way up the stairs instead.

"Teddy? Where are you?" She calls out in singsong as she looks in every room.

Inside his playroom Carlos sits in a far corner, knees held to his chest as he holds a hockey stick tightly in his hands. His body trembles as his breathing has gone erratic as soon as he hears her voice.

He curls up into a ball even further and whimpers quietly as tears start to flood down in his state of fear.

Sweat trickles down his face and his heart pounds loudly in his chest when he hears her opening his bedroom door.

"Teddy? Why won't you come out? It's me, Molly. Haven't you missed me? I just want to cuddle." She innocently calls out as he desperately tries not to let her hear his panicked sobs.

_Flashback…_

"_Oh teddy, you really are the best at cuddling. I don't ever want to let you go." The voice tells him as she lays her head on his naked chest. He freezes as she wraps her arms around him. She lets out a content sigh. He just lays there and stares at the dark ceiling, while silent tears fall down his bloody and bruised cheeks._

He is quickly pulled out of his flashback when the door handle of his playroom is jiggled. He holds his breath.

"Teddy? Are you in there? It's okay to come out, you know me." She says and he can hear the smile in her voice. "Teddy?" She asks again and then sighs in defeat.

He can hear her leaving the room again and finally lets out his breath. His body still trembles as he listens to any sounds of anyone else coming up. Safe for now…

_Back downstairs…_

The group sits in silence as the men keep their eyes and guns trained on them, while the leader paces through the room impatiently.

"Johnny… I can't find him anywhere." Molly says with a pout as she descends from the staircase. The man grumbles underneath his breath and sighs, before turning to face the group.

"Alright, where is he?" 'Johnny' asks impatiently. James frowns.

"Where's who?" He asks in full confusion.

"You know who I'm talking about, now tell me where he is!" Johnny yells at them, making them jump a little.

Kendall and Logan lock eyes for a brief moment and make a silent exchange.

"There's no one else here." Kendall states simply. Johnny throws him a death glare and gets up close to him, putting the gun to his neck and pulling his hair back. Kendall doesn't look at him and keeps a hard look on the kitchen table.

"Do I look stupid to you, blondie? Huh?" Kendall grits his teeth when the man pulls harder on his hair. "You and I both know he is in this house and you are going to tell me or maybe I will just have to ask your little sister over here." He says with a menacing grin as he lets go of the hair and uses his free hand to stroke Katie's cheek next to him.

"Don't touch her!" James yells quickly. The man grins and whips his eyes over to him. He lets go of the Knight siblings and walks over to the pretty boy.

"Hm, so pretty." The man mutters as he brushes a strand of hair from James' eyes. James flinches at the touch. Johnny grins wider and then grabs the brunet's chin and leans in close. James struggles in his restraints as he can feel the man's breath in his ear. "If you care about the girl so much, just tell me where the boy is." The man whispers.

James sends a scared look towards Katie, who looks absolutely terrified.

"Come on, you can tell me. I promise I won't hurt the girl if you just tell me where he is." The man quietly repeats, so now the others can hear it. James just keeps staring at Katie, who can see the doubt in his eyes. She quickly shakes her head, pleading with him not to do it.

"I uh…" James starts, obviously struggling which decision to make. "I… don't know…" He finishes and finally tears his gaze away from the young brunet, whom sighs in relief.

The man's grin fades right away. "Really now?" He asks.

"There's no one here but us." James repeats the sentence Kendall gave before and the man stands up again. He nods and strains his jaw.

"So no one is going to talk, huh?" he asks quietly as he walks by the four tied up teens. They all firmly keep their eyes trained on points in front of them, refusing to look at him. "What about you, shortie?" He questions as he looks at Logan. But Logan ignores him fully.

"Alright, fine. You know, I wanted to do this the easy way. But you're giving me no choice." He informs them, before walking towards two of his 'men' and whispering something to them. They nod and suddenly walk up to Katie and snatch her up from the floor.

The guys' eyes go wide.

"hey, what are you doing?" Kendall demands as he struggles to get to her.

"Let go of me!" Katie yells as she tries to get away from them. All the guys protest as they lead her towards the chair. She is forced to sit as they start to use chains to tightly confine her to the seat.

"What's wrong? This is what you wanted isn't it?" The man asks them innocently.

"She didn't do anything to you and neither did we! There is no one else here, so why don't you just back the fuck off!" Kendall yells in his restraints. The man grins.

"We both know you are completely full of shit, blondie." Johnny says quietly as he leans forward towards Kendall's face. Then, without any warning, he delivers a solid punch to his jaw with the butt of the gun.

"Kendall!" Katie yells at the top of her lungs as her brother's face is swung aside. He looks up with a daze, heavily blinking as he does so.

Upstairs, Carlos has heard the yelling. Despite not hearing exactly what's going on, he knows his friends are in trouble. His heart is pounding again as he glances at the door. He bites his lip as he contemplates on what to do.

While Katie has silently started to cry for her brother getting hurt and the danger they are clearly in, the man steps forward and grips her chin.

"Now you see this beautiful young face? You see what you made me do? Now she's crying." The man tells them.

"You bastard. Why can't you just leave us alone!" James spats at him. The man chuckles.

"My dear boy, I am not going anywhere until I get what I came here for. And as long as you don't help me, I'm afraid I just can't play nice with you." He says as he keeps his grip on Katie.

"Johnny?" Molly suddenly asks from the spot on the side, where she has been watching everything. "Can I play with her first?" She asks innocently. James and Logan exchange a very worried look. The man just grins and steps away.

The woman squeals in delight and walks forward. She leans in to Katie's face.

"You are so pretty. You'll make a wonderful daughter." She mentions as pure terror appears in Katie's eyes. Then the girl gasps as something shiny is pulled up to her face. Molly puts a hand on her mouth as she starts to struggle.

"Shh, I'm just going to mark you. This will only hurt a little bit." She says with a loving smile as she brings the knife closer to Katie's cheek.

The shouting from the guys and the sudden loud scream from Katie is all he needs to hear. All of his limbs are shaking with fear and so many alarm bells are going off, but he can't let them get hurt for him.

Johnny laughs out loud as Katie screams, while the guys shout for Molly to stop.

"Stop it!" Another voice suddenly shouts from the upstairs banister. The entire house is suddenly hulled in deadly silence as all eyes are directed towards the figure at the top of the staircase.

Molly gasps and drops the knife immediately. "Teddy!" She shouts with glee as the others look at their friend in horror.

"Well, well, well. Look who showed up just in time for curtain call." Johnny says with a menacing grin. "It is good to see you again, Carlitos. You're just in time for the show to start."

**A/N Yeah, I'm not apologizing anymore. I'm just a little lost lately, with my inspiration being gone in all ways. Seriously, if you have any ideas for any of my stories, let me know.**

**Also, I posted some story ideas for stories I'm not going to write. They are up for adoption. So please take a look and if you are interested in them or have questions first, just let me know **

**Anyway, I'm hoping this chapter isn't too crappy. And yes, it does have another cliffy and no, I don't know when the next update will be. The inspiration for all my writing is just lost, so I don't know. But I hope you don't give up on me just yet and that you still enjoy my writing **

**Until another time,**

**Love Baxxie**


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